Children and Soldiers
by Blue Hurricane
Summary: Sapphire Fall is an ex-mercenary accepted into Beacon and placed under the care of Team RWBY, in the hopes that they will manage to teach him what it means to live. As a man whose past drives him to think of nothing but hatred and revenge, what can he learn when he interacts with the colorful Hunters and Huntresses of Beacon, all of whom can live with who they are? Contains OC
1. 01 - The Lone Soldier

**Okay, I suck at summaries, but I think that pretty much covers what this story will be about. As stated, this story contains an OC, but it will also revolve around the main characters. An AU of sorts, if you will, although there will be similarities with the canon up till Volume 2, Episode 7 (Dance Dance Infiltration).**

**I plan to expand on the characters through Sapphire, so I hope you'll stick around for a read. There might only be implied relationships (for now), so if that's not your cup of tea I'm sorry.**

**Please know that the main character is NOT overpowered, and he is most certainly not without flaws. As the story progresses, this will become clearer.**

**Hope that covered most of what I wanted to say. Well, enjoy (I hope):**

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><p>He remembered the blood. He remembered the screams. He remembered the carnage, and the violent pillars of flame, enveloping the world with its vermillion glow.<p>

He remembered the laughter. He remembered the rage. He remembered the callous yet vengeful force of that incoming tsunami of destructive energy. He remembered the pain that erupted over every nerve and cell of his body.

When he finally woke up from the nightmare, Sapphire Fall's eyes had become swallowed by fear and despair. The man's irises, true to his name, slowly became ignited by a flickering, cloudy red as two transparent trails blazed down his cheeks.

* * *

><p>"Absolutely not," Glynda snapped, slapping a palm onto the fine wooden desk. "Do you know how dangerous this will be? There're so many faults I can't even begin to-"<p>

"It'll be fine, Glynda," Ozpin assured her. "The potential dangers aside, this is a necessary step for him. If they can't do it, then no one can. The members of the team are clearly the most suited for this cause."

"They are _children_," Glynda emphasized. "For goodness sake, one of them is even underage. Do you really think that-"

"Those are possibilities, Glynda," Ozpin said. "All that you've mentioned are simply possibilities. I won't deny that my desired outcomes are mere possibilities as well, but if we do nothing, they will remain possibilities and nothing else. If we leave him as is, he will die in a matter of weeks, maybe days. Instead of watching him die, wouldn't you prefer to take a bet to see if he lives?"

Glynda pursed her lips, not retorting in the way she usually would. The look in Ozpin's eyes told her quite plainly that he was not going to give in. The man's adamant nature had often been the reason for many of his failures, but even she could not deny that it had been the cause of his countless successes as well.

"The possibilities will stay possibilities if we don't take action, Glynda," Ozpin repeated. "We need to make a move to see which future lies in the wake of our choice, even if that means forgoing an outcome we know will surely occur."

"Fine," Glynda conceded. "Bring him in."

"I thought you might see things my way," Ozpin said, smiling as he leaned against his large chair. "As a matter of fact, all the necessary preparations have already been made."

Glynda rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh.

* * *

><p>"Hey, guys," Ruby said, fidgeting restlessly. "Why are we standing here again?"<p>

"For the sixtieth time, Ruby," Weiss complained, crossing her arms across her chest. "We are waiting for the new transfer student. She doesn't know her way around Beacon, so she's going to crash with us for the time being. Try and get that through that thick skull of yours."

"Keep it together, sis," Yang encouraged with a wide grin plastered across her face. "You're going to meet a new friend here!"

"Not helping, Yang," Blake pointed out, rolling her eyes when the young leader openly groaned at Yang's exclamation. "She's here; I feel it."

"Stop being so sensitive to your surroundings, Blake," Weiss said in her usual commanding tone. "You want to keep your Faunus identity a secret, don't you?"

"Weiss!" Ruby gasped, looking around the empty front gates hastily. "People might hear-"

"Shh!" Yang hissed. "I see her!"

Approaching the team was a thin figure dressed in a simple grey t-shirt and matching pants, with a gait that suggested the person in question was intentionally walking slowly. When he stopped in front of them, his boots – thick, metallic and clearly modified for combat – could be seen reaching up to his ankles. But that was not the detail that attracted the girls' attention.

"You're a guy?" Weiss asked, the surprise in her voice suggesting he was some extraterrestrial.

"Um, yep," the man replied awkwardly. Ruby noticed that he had bright blue eyes, like pieces of sapphire jewels. "I'm Sapphire Fall. I take it you're Team RWBY?"

"Y-yeah," Blake answered, being the first to recover from her shock. "I'm Blake and this is-"

"I know who you all are," Sapphire replied quickly, his gaze not leaving the faunus. "You… No, it's nothing. I understand that I'm to follow you guys today?"

"Y-yes, that's right!" Ruby squeaked, having received a silent elbow to the side from Weiss. "I'm R-Ruby, the team leader! Nice to meet you?"

"Why are you posing that as a question?" Sapphire asked.

While Ruby fumbled with her words humorously, Blake narrowed her eyes at the forest beyond the school. Her bow twitched, suggesting that her enhanced senses had picked up something.

"This isn't a test, I hope," Sapphire whispered, barely audible to anyone besides Blake. "You've got terrible taste as usual, commander."

Swinging around and kicking up one foot swiftly, Sapphire fired something out of his boot that flew towards nothing, until a wild Ursa rampaged into view from the foliage and into the trajectory of the item. The object struck the beast with a light 'clunk', barely fazing the monster. As the girls of Team RWBY looked at him in surprise (and disbelief, with a tinge of disappointment), a deafening explosion slammed the Ursa back into the forest.

"It wasn't a rock, by the way," Sapphire explained. "It's a Dust Grenade. I did hear that explosives were going to be a problem at school, but that doesn't count, right?"

"Good aim."

Following his sudden compliment, Ozpin seemingly materialized out of thin air and stood behind the five children, sipping coffee from his trademark mug.

"You really don't waste any time, commander," Sapphire said, smirking. "Oh wait; it's 'Professor Ozpin' now, yeah?"

"Professor sounds like a safer term," Ozpin considered. "But that Ursa was actually meant for the girls to prove their skills to you, you know."

"It takes one Ursa to show off four girls?" Sapphire asked. "Your school's gonna close down after they graduate and you're going to face a lot of lawsuits over dead children."

Right on cue, a horde of angry Ursas clawed their way towards Beacon, aiming for the group of young, tender meat standing aimlessly in front of the school.

"That's more like it," Sapphire said, charging off.

"Confident, isn't he?" Weiss observed. "Arrogant and eager, too."

"That's just how he is," Ozpin sighed, shrugging. "Oh well. Take this opportunity to observe how he fights, then; it's not as if he'll be doing a lot of it from this point onwards."

"Wait," Blake interjected, as Sapphire leapt into the air and ripped off an Ursa's head with a front flip axe kick. "What do you mean by that? Isn't he a student at Beacon?"

"Well, be that as it may," Ozpin conceded. "His purpose here is not to study or fight. I sent him here for… rehabilitation, if you will. And that's where you all come in."

At those words, Team RWBY turned away from the fight and looked at their headmaster, completely at a loss. Not too far from them, Sapphire's Aura flared dangerously as he lifted an Ursa with one bare hand and swung it around like a baseball bat.

"He's a troubling child," Ozpin explained. "I cannot divulge too much; that's up to you girls to see how deep you can go. I will say two things, though:

"First, his Semblance is that the closer proximity he is to death, the stronger he becomes, and he is currently a dying man whose fighting only worsens his condition."

That one point was enough to garner looks of complete bewilderment. There were too many problems with that one sentence that no one knew where to even begin.

"Second," Ozpin went on, clearing his throat. "He'll try to make sure you girls don't fight at all, because he would rather do it all himself."

"Wait; does that mean we're gonna babysit him or something?" Weiss asked incredulously. "Why is he even here if he can't fight as a team member?"

Ozpin took a deep breath before releasing a slow sigh. Holding his silence a few moments longer, he finally said:

"Because he's the sole survivor of a mercenary group killed by the Schnee corporation and the White Fang," he finished. "And I want you four to make him remember what having comrades means before he loses everything."

As his ominous words hung in the air like the stale odor of death, Sapphire crushed the last Ursa's head with one hand, sending a sickening crunch echoing through the still air. His eyes, now burning circles of scarlet, stared into the distance at something only he could see.

"You're next, Mercury," he muttered, his irises blazing with a cold fire that roared with ferocity of a million beasts. "Then I'm coming for you, Adam."


	2. 02 - A new roommate

**So... Chapter 2. There're many problems I'm trying to work out with this story, so please bear with me while I try to fix them. It should be at least readable when I really do manage to fix them...**

**Until then, enjoy (?)**

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><p>The distant sounds of a skirmish barely reached his ears over the sounds of his metallic boots striking the concrete floor as he sprinted. He tried to mask the noises with his own panting, but his body was simply not tired enough to grant him that reprieve.<p>

"Hey, Sapphire," a familiar voice said next to him. "Don't go and space out on me."

"Yeah, I got it," Sapphire replied, hastily reducing the weight of his steps to hide the sounds of his running. "We'll be going back alone now, though; think you can handle it if they catch up?"

"Oh, please," his partner – a man with silver grey hair and dark grey eyes – replied with a lighthearted wave of his hand. "This is nothing."

"Sure," Sapphire said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Be on your guard, Mercury; we have to assume that-"

"Dude, I got it," Mercury said, cutting across Sapphire's words impatiently. "I'm actually taking this seriously, you know."

Sapphire said nothing, instead settling for a small nod. He knew that Mercury, despite his carefree nature, was a dependable ally to have. Even though he was incredibly worried about the unexpected turn of events, Sapphire was capable of keeping his calm simply because his partner was with him.

The mission had been simple: retrieve an illegally seized container of Dust owned by the Schnee company. No one knew who the culprit was, and Sapphire's group was not interested anyway; they were simply told to go and take it back from the abandoned factory where the thieves had made into a makeshift fortress.

Along the way, they had met with considerable resistance from security sent by the Schnee company – both human and machine. The fighting that broke out was only to be expected, considering that despite being on the same side they had nothing in common. However, what had not been anticipated was the appearance of the White Fang, who attacked both Sapphire's group and Schnee security alike.

To make matters worse, the White Fang had sent Adam Taurus and 'Monochrome'.

Adam Taurus was someone who Sapphire earnestly did not want to fight. He had been named 'the samurai' before they finally learned his name, and two men had died just to attain that information. His weaknesses were completely unknown, and he was a man of fearsome skill, capable of eliminating the entire team if he really wanted to.

Monochrome was an enigma. Up until now, no one knew the name of the elusive cat faunus who was Adam's partner. Along with the discovery of Adam's name, they had managed to find out that she was indeed a cat faunus who often kept her ears beneath the black bow on her head. With her providing backup, Adam truly had no blind spots when fighting multiple people.

Now they were here. Together, along with the Schnee security. Forget the objective; Sapphire would have been glad to just be able to get out of there alive.

"Why must everything be so messed up?!" Sapphire complained, as they dashed into the forest towards the agreed upon rendezvous point, while enemies slowly but surely closed in from behind.

"Relax," Mercury said, managing a small smile. "This'll turn out just fine. There's the temple."

The temple had been designated as the base of operations this time, as well as the place to go once the mission was over, successful or not. Not only was it a shelter, it was also a makeshift armory that would allow them to fight back a small army.

"Well, at least it's still intact," Sapphire sighed, looking around. "Doesn't seem like anyone else is here, though-"

Before he could complete that sentence, the mercenary was sent flying into the temple by a strong force. He had faced it several times in training, but never as harsh as this: it was Mercury's kick, possibly fracturing some bones as it blew his body through the door.

Clumsily getting to his feet, Sapphire opened his mouth, only to shut it almost instantly. His blue eyes now tinged ever so slightly with a tiny bit of red. Mercury was looking at him, wearing that trademark smirk that now reflected a completely different meaning.

_He betrayed us._

That one sole thought coursing through his head, Sapphire watched as the man he once called his partner turned his back on him and walked away.

"Mercu-"

A small sound cut apart that name. It was soft and insignificant, but the killing intent that followed it sent chills down Sapphire's spine.

Staring down at his prey through his mask, Adam Taurus let the shine from the tiniest sliver of his exposed blade announce his location in the dim darkness of the sacred walls of the temple. The small light, weak as it might be, captured the entirety of Sapphire's attention, much like the soft sound of unsheathing the moment before.

"So he even leaked the location of this place, huh?" Sapphire muttered to himself. He could not simply let Mercury walk away, but he knew that he could not just give chase and let Adam cut him in two. "Fine, whatever. I'll take you on then."

With a powerful roundhouse kick, Sapphire fired off his last Dust Grenade at the White Fang swordsman. It exploded within inches of his face, but when the debris cleared it appeared to have done no damage whatsoever. Even his sword, which was used to block the explosion, was completely without as much as a scratch.

Having started his sprint before the grenade even exploded, Sapphire thought he was ready. He genuinely believed that he had a chance against the swordsman whose unknown abilities were the greatest weakness of his Semblance.

He realized his own arrogance the moment he heard that laugh.

He remembered vaguely the movement of the blade as it left the sheath. He hazily recalled the ghostly echo of that man's laughter as it rumbled through the air.

He barely felt the pain before the world was drowned in a blazing scarlet hue.

* * *

><p>Heaving a light sigh, Sapphire returned to the group in front of Beacon, where the girls stood with looks of surprise on their faces. Ozpin merely looked grim, not that there was anything new about that.<p>

"Does that count as a test?" he asked as though nothing was wrong. "Do we get extra points or something for that?"

"If it were that easy, Beacon would be a school for biology and not fighting," Ozpin replied.

"Guess so," Sapphire said, shrugging as he turned to the members of Team RWBY. "But we're not cleaning up that mess, I hope. So, what now? I don't think introductions are necessary, so perhaps you girls could show me around?"

"Er-Erm," Ruby looked around at her teammates with pleading eyes.

"W-we could go to the dorm," Weiss suggested, causing Ruby to give her an endearing look mixed with relief. "We'll introduce you to some of our friends, I guess."

"Whoa, Weiss," Yang exclaimed. "Didn't expect you to be so forward about helping people make friends."

"Hey, I know these things!" Weiss snapped. "Besides, we have to talk to Team JNPR about letting him stay in their room!"

"True," Blake agreed. "Unlike them, we only have girls in our team, so it'll be problematic if he crashes with us."

"Well, let's go then!" Sapphire said with a cheery voice and a wide smile which everyone understood instantly to be a façade. "Okay, sorry; that was awkward."

* * *

><p>"Soo…." Nora said, dragging out the 'o' in her usual sing-song voice. "We have to let him sleep in our room?"<p>

"Yes," Weiss replied flatly. "With Jaune and Ren in your room, we figured your team's room would be-"

"Why can't they allocate him one of the transfer students' rooms?" Pyrrha asked, emerging from inside the room.

"Remember the bunch of transfer students who came in a few days ago?" Blake reminded her. "They took up the only available rooms, and Yang destroyed the other available ones when she… you know… _that_."

"Oh," Pyrrha replied, sighing as she replied, bringing her palm to her face. "_That._"

"You blew up an entire block?" Sapphire asked, eyes wide. Yang faltered. "Why?"

"The building had a bunch of vines growing on the walls," Blake explained, casting Yang an exasperated look. "She got her hair stuck on it and had a couple stray strands pulled out. She just lost it and destroyed the entire building. Luckily it was empty, or she would have faced expulsion."

"I doubt it," Sapphire said. His gaze instantly shifted from one filled with hostility to the reserved look from before. "The com- I mean, he would probably treat it like a good joke unless you actually injure someone."

"You should've seen Goodwitch's face," Nora piped up. "She was scaaary!"

"Don't remind me!" Yang pleaded desperately. "I don't want to think about what she- oh my god, no!"

"Aaaanyway," Nora went on, clearly enjoying the effect her words had on the blond girl. "We can't take him."

"What?" Weiss asked incredulously. "Why?!"

"Because we want our private time~" she replied, reaching into the room and pulling out a wild Ren, hugging him until his face turned blue. "I'm sure Jaune and Pyrrha would say the same~"

"Er… Well…" Pyrrha muttered, blushing furiously as she busied herself with looking at the wall. "Um… I t-think that since he was put under your care, maybe you should, um, let him stay with you guys so you can bond properly."

Even Sapphire narrowed his eyes at that sentence.

"So these two are a couple?" he asked, pointing at Ren and Nora, receiving a big wide grin and a goofy nod in reply. "While she and this 'John' guy are together?"

"N-no!" Pyrrha vehemently denied, blushing even harder. "W-we're not! Kinda. I mean! Erm! What I meant to say was, it's 'Jaune' with a A-U-N-E not 'John' with an O-H-N."

"Sensitive to the name even, huh?" Yang teased, having recovered from her painful memories of punishment at Goodwitch's hands. "What a protective girlfriend… Jaune sure is lucky, huh?"

"Yang!"

"Okay, okay," Sapphire cut in, clearly getting tired of the situation. "What about you, Rose? You're the team leader; you decide."

"Eh?" Ruby jumped at the mention of her name, having tried to hide behind Weiss the entire time. "Um… Well… I guess… it's okay for you to stay with us for now?"

The other three members of Team RWBY sighed at the same time.


	3. 03 - Past, Present, Future

**Chapter 3 is up. Thanks for continuing to read!**

**I hope I manage to live up to expectations!**

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><p>The air was cold and silent, its ephemeral presence prowling through the corners of the room like a predator circling its prey. The night was merciless, enveloping the moon with its dark shadows, preventing its glow from reaching the world below.<p>

Fighting back the urge to cry, Sapphire Fall desperately clung to the bed sheets as though afraid that they would leave him. His black hair, much like his sister's yet nowhere as beautiful, melted into the darkness and left the six-year-old alone and vulnerable. On most days, reminding himself that he had the same hair as his beautiful, elegant sister made him feel better, and sometimes the act even reminded him that he was not alone. But not today. Not now.

The corners of his eyes were heating up. He tried telling himself that it was because of that accursed blanket trapping the heat, but even a five-year-old could have seen through that lie. Not that being a year older than that worked in his favor.

Six years. That made him practically a man. That meant he had to be strong. He was old enough to stand up for himself now, and probably strong enough too; Daddy had always said people naturally got stronger when they grew up, especially the boys.

"Sapphire?"

A familiar, mellow voice cut short Sapphire's little ritual of self-delusion. He was relieved to hear that voice, but he was also worried; the gentle tone she used told him quite plainly that she was worrying about him.

"Are you asleep yet?" she asked, softly closing the door behind her as she stepped into the room.

"Yes," Sapphire replied, before slapping his hands hastily over his mouth.

"I see," Cinder said lightly.

Nothing could be heard for a few moments, which Sapphire was both thankful and regretful for. However, mere seconds later, he felt her climb onto his bed and yank the bed sheets off of him, covering both of them with it instead.

"Well, if you're sleeping, you wouldn't know about what I'm doing, right?" she asked, a tiny smile on her face. It enhanced the finely chiseled features on her exquisite face, to the extent that it was difficult to believe she was only a few years older than Sapphire. "So you can't complain."

"I-I wasn't scared," Sapphire said defiantly.

"Who said anything about you being scared?" Cinder teased, chuckling.

Sapphire refused to meet her eyes, instead choosing to bury his face in the pillow to hide his embarrassment. He knew that it was futile, though; his Big Sis Cinder always saw right through him.

"Sapphire," Cinder whispered, her tone now a little serious. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Still not looking at his sister, Sapphire nodded meekly into his pillow. He was aware that he was shaking a little, but even with all the strength he could muster he could not make it stop. It just filled his body, invading every pore, every nerve, and every crevice of his soul.

He flinched when he felt something warm brush past his skin, but calmed down when he understood that Cinder had put her arms around him, pulling him into an embrace. Even then, the trembling did not stop.

Cinder knew the dark places her foolish little brother's mind wandered to; she had been there as well. Sapphire often had nightmares about their parents dying, despite never having actually seen it. The siblings had no confirmation that their parents were actually deceased, and Cinder had clung on to the childish hopes that they were still alive and well out there somewhere. Sapphire, however, started dreaming of different ways in which they might have died.

It broke him. Cinder often told him that he needed to be strong, but whenever she saw him crying she could not help but reach out and comfort him, even if that made him dependent on her.

"How bad was it this time?" she asked, the words burning like fire on her tongue.

"Bad," Sapphire replied meekly. "There was a boat and-"

"Shh," Cinder said, silencing her brother instantly. "Don't dwell on the details."

"A-are you angry?" Sapphire asked, looking up timidly.

"Yes," Cinder replied, making the young boy wince as though she had just whipped him with a chain. "I'm missing out on my beauty sleep because a certain little brother wouldn't be honest with his Big Sis Cinder."

He gulped. She had seen through him. Again.

"You want to cry, don't you?" she asked. "You can cry now, you know; I'm right here. I won't laugh."

"I…" Sapphire began, his voice hoarse from fighting back tears. "I don't cry. Big boys don't… cry…"

"Okay, that made me feel old," Cinder replied, pouting a little. Sapphire managed a shaky laugh.

"You'd still be Mom' and Dad's 'Cinderella' no matter how old you are," he said. Now it was Cinder's turn to laugh.

"And you'll always be my little 'Jewel'," she replied. "You becoming a big boy doesn't matter. You still have to cry when you want to."

"Only you call me that," Sapphire muttered, finally returning his sister's hug while burying his face in her chest.

He said nothing after that. He knew that Cinder was right; he _did _want to cry. He wanted to let the tears flow. But he also wanted to be strong. For her, for himself, for-

"Don't think," Cinder whispered, stroking his hair. "Obey."

Like magic, the eerie silence looming over them shattered. Sapphire's ears recognized that agonizing, sloppy noise as it proceeded to ricochet off the walls, driving away the nothingness of the night. He recognized the wretched wails that had escaped his lips again.

He gasped for air, each intake accompanied by a salty liquid that blazed down his cheeks endlessly. He could smell his sister, he could feel her warmth, but they were now somehow distant as they encouraged more tears out of his eyes.

It was on nights like this that Cinder Fall held back her own tears, just to listen to her brother cry.

* * *

><p>Sapphire ran. He was sprinting, panting, scared out of his wits, as he held on tightly to Cinder's hand.<p>

He knew the streets. He knew where they were. Cinder did not have to drag him around so roughly. She did not have to squeeze his hand so hard.

She did not have to have such panic etched across her face.

In his numb, confused mind, the nine-year-old Sapphire tried to process what he had just seen. What had just transpired. But the more he thought about it, the more questions did he end up with.

The soldiers were coming. There was some war going on, so that was only logical. So why were Sapphire and Cinder running? They were not soldiers. They were just children; why did they have to run?

"Keep running, Sapphire," Cinder panted, desperation evident in her voice.

"Sis, why-" Sapphire began.

"Don't think; obey," Cinder said hastily. "Please."

That shut him up. The use of the command was one thing – it had been the one thing she reinforced as an elder sibling – but it was Cinder's tone that terrified him.

She was scared. The beautiful, perfect Big Sis Cinder was scared of something.

A deafening roar shook the air as flames and smoke engulfed part of a nearby building. It lasted no longer than a few seconds, as the sharp reports of various weapons drowned out the already dissipating noise.

Within the cacophony of disembodied screams, gunfire and explosions, Sapphire yelled. He wanted to say something, to tell her something that would make her feel better, but the merciless destruction around them overwhelmed his pitiful cries.

Then he saw a jet of red erupt from Cinder's arm, causing her to let go of his hand, but not before she shoved him back into the alleyway they had run out from. Stumbling backwards, Sapphire vaguely wondered why she had let go, why she was kneeling on the ground, and where that red liquid had come from, before he realized that it did not fall from above.

It had come from Cinder herself.

The soldiers had opened fire when they saw people suddenly emerging from the alleyway, but when they found out that Cinder was just a child, they left. Sapphire never did see the soldiers to begin with, much less see them leave his big sister alone.

In his panic, Sapphire tripped, accidentally swallowing a mouthful of dirt. He hurriedly got to his feet, running clumsily towards Cinder.

"Sapphire!" Cinder yelled, reaching out towards him. The narrow alleyway they were in only had tall buildings at the sides, making it difficult for the young boy to see the object hurtling towards them.

Trapped between the towering walls of shadow, Sapphire dashed helplessly towards his sister who was kneeling in pain just beyond the exit. Bathed in sunlight and dressed in dust and blood, Cinder's face was twisted by despair. The sight made tears threaten to burst from Sapphire's eyes, but he held them back with violent control.

Like his sister, Sapphire reached out for his sibling, completely oblivious to the falling helicopter spiraling towards them. When Cinder finally managed to scream out for him to stay away, Sapphire was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a large ball of fire filled her vision.

A large chunk of flaming metal seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, bursting into flames between them. Cinder was knocked back by the sheer force, her body hurting so badly she thought she had been set aflame.

"Sapphire!" she hollered, running towards the entrance of the alleyway, now blocked off by the smoldering wreckage of burning metal. "Sapphire! Sapphire!"

"Sis!" Sapphire's voice called out, barely audible through the din of the ongoing carnage. "Are you-"

Cinder did not hear the rest of that sentence. She never did. All she heard through the grim laughter of the frolicking flames and the sneer of despair was the sound of gunfire on the other side of the wreckage.

Within that gunfire, a single boy's whimpers escaped, before vanishing forever into nothingness.

* * *

><p>Cinder Fall leaned against the callous wall of Beacon's corridor, feeling its cold, unwelcome touch as she let her mind wander.<p>

Her name was Ruby, she had said. She not only looked young; she behaved like a small, frightened child as well. Seeing her reminded Cinder of a certain boy. A certain boy who had been cruelly taken from her many years ago.

She remembered her words to Emerald and Mercury after the report on Pyrrha Nikos' abilities. She recalled the hatred for the world that had spurred those words.

Towards the world that had taken away the most precious people in her life, Cinder swore she would be the one taking this time. Just like she had told Emerald and Mercury, this was not about overpowering the enemy; this was about taking away what powers they had. She wanted them to lose, and she wanted them to live with that loss; she would not even grant them the consolation of death.

Towards the world that had killed her brother without a second thought, without a shred of mercy, Cinder had sworn revenge.

The images returned. She was alone again, eyes burning, watching the armored aircrafts scourge the skies, leaving nothing in their wake.

_Don't think. Obey._

Cinder sighed. How different those words had sounded when she said them now.

* * *

><p>"I hope you have a good explanation."<p>

"Now, now, Glynda," Ozpin said cautiously; one wrong word and Mt. Goodwitch would erupt. "He simply acted before I could step in, that's all. Besides," he added, seeing that Glynda was about to say something else in protest, "He was going to have to demonstrate his abilities to the girls sooner or later. If he ended up sparring with one of them, there might be casualties, so wouldn't you agree that this worked out for the best?"

Glynda did not retort, although she did not cease her glaring either. Ozpin waited patiently for her to soothe her nerves with deep breaths; he had made many mistakes in his life, and provoking an angered Glynda Goodwitch was one he never wanted to repeat.

"So what now?" she asked at last. "Is he going to behave or is he going to get in the way of the students?"

"He is tactful enough," Ozpin replied. "However, it would be in his best interests that he stay away from the dangerous areas unless strictly necessary."

"That goes without saying," Glynda snapped. Her expression softened a little before she continued. "Will he be alright?"

"I cannot give you a definite answer," Ozpin confessed. "But there is one thing I observed that might be a glimmer of hope."

"And that is?"

Ozpin smiled. He leaned back against his chair as he ruminated on the words Sapphire had said in front of Team RWBY. Those might have been simple words that held no significance, even to the speaker himself, but they had managed to convey something to Ozpin.

"He still uses 'we' instead of 'I'," he answered.


	4. 04 - Monsters and Weapons

**Forgot to add this before, so here it is:**

**Disclaimer: RWBY does not belong to me. All rights go to their respective owners. Sapphire Fall is my original character, though, along with his weapons which you'll finally see here** **:)**

* * *

><p>Blake fancied herself a light sleeper. There were times she believed it was due to the training she underwent, and there were times she believed she was on constant high alert because she was afraid her cat ears would show and someone would find out. After that secret was exposed, Yang had attributed Blake's sleeping habits to her cat faunus nature, because "all kitties sleep lightly". She could never put a finger on the actual reason why, but it did not bother her much.<p>

Tonight, however, it was driving her insane.

Since Ruby had given the go-ahead (Weiss lectured her for a good two hours afterward), Sapphire now crashed with Team RWBY in their room. He slept on a mattress placed in the corner of the room, which was hardly comfortable but he did not seem to mind. The problem was that since he was here, Blake had to start hiding her cat ears beneath her bow before she slept every night again.

Having experienced the comfort of sleeping without a bow thanks to the understanding of her teammates, Blake now found the bow and its scratchy texture to be unbelievably irritating when it kept waking her up from her slumber.

To make matters worse, Sapphire constantly groaned in his sleep. No one else picked up on it, but Blake's heightened Faunus senses could hear him loud and clear.

Granted, Yang snored from time to time, but Blake had found creative ways around that problem. Sapphire, for all the noises he made, was a trained mercenary; she would rather not risk a violent retaliation for trying to stuff a sock into his mouth.

A startled gasp broke Blake's train of thought, announcing Sapphire's panicked awakening. With her handy night vision, she watched him leave the room with a haunted, pale look on his face.

That expression bothered her. Even Blake, who had been a member of the White Fang, had not kept Gambol Shroud with her when she slept; she always put it in the lockers provided like everyone else. Sapphire, however, wore those combat boots around the clock, even when he went to bed.

He was afraid of something. She was sure of it. There were times she saw a similar look on her reflection when she went to the bathroom at night. She knew that look; it was the expression of someone haunted by their own past.

Cursing herself inside her head over her curiosity, Blake slipped out after him.

* * *

><p>She found Sapphire on the roof, where the remnants of two familiar scents still lingered. Blake identified them to belong to Pyrrha and Jaune, making a mental note to mention that the next time.<p>

"You heard me leave the room?" Sapphire asked, looking at the night sky without turning around.

Blake jumped when she heard him speak so suddenly. She did not deliberately hide her presence, but being detected by the person she was following made her feel frustrated.

"Ever heard how 'curiosity killed the cat'?" he asked.

If Yang had said that, Blake would have rolled her eyes and chalked it up to another one of the blonde's lame puns. If anyone else had said it, she would not have paid it any heed. But the way Sapphire said it made her feel strangely uneasy.

"Why are you up so late?" Blake asked.

"Oh, right," Sapphire muttered, as though he had just remembered something obvious. "Faunus senses. I forgot."

Blake froze. He knew. She did not know how, but he knew. Had it been that obvious? If it really was that easy to tell, what if everyone in Beacon knew? What if they all knew, but kept it to themselves the entire time?

"H-how did you know?" Blake croaked, trying to and failing at keeping calm.

"I've been trained," he replied simply. "You're not the first Faunus to try and pass yourself off as a human."

"Was it that obvious?" she asked.

"To me. Do they know?"

"Yeah," Blake replied after a short pause. "They know."

"Why are you here?" Sapphire asked. The sudden question made Blake stare at him in confusion. "Why did you come here, disguise yourself as a human, train like one and discard your identity?"

Blake did not answer. With the sudden question flung at her out of nowhere, she could not answer. She just stood there in stunned silence, as he waited for her to reply.

"I have a past I'd rather forget," she decided. "I decided to change things my own-"

"Then what are you living for?" Sapphire fired back. "If you want to deny your past, why not just end your own life? What's keeping you alive?"

Turning around to face the Faunus Huntress-in-training, the black-haired mercenary's clear blue eyes bore into her own, amber ones.

"Do you know how I discovered my Semblance?" he hissed. "I was shot by a bunch of soldiers after a wrecked helicopter almost killed me and my sister. I felt myself dying; I could feel the life literally draining out of me as I lay there like a marionette without strings. Then I felt the world change.

"My body felt stronger. The world seemed to slow down except for me. I knew that if I just stayed there I would die, so I killed them. I killed even more after that, searching the streets for my sister. I never found her. There were no other survivors rescued when the commander's team arrived. I was the only one left, and I had killed no less than thirty people that day with my bare hands. I was nine."

Blake said nothing, and in that silence she urged him to continue. Even though she did not want to hear more.

"I spent my entire life resenting that weakness," he continued, his eyes harboring a cold rage unlike anything Blake had ever seen. "If I had been stronger, I could have reached her. I hated that weakness, so I spent my life fighting. I spent every waking moment battling. When the war stopped, I became a mercenary just so I could continue to fight. There was no good or bad in there; I just fought and fought and fought. I didn't care about morals; after all, this world didn't have any when it took away my sister.

"And then I lost everything again. My team – the people I could call my friends – all of them are gone. Dead. Betrayed by the man I once called my partner. Killed by Schnee's security, the White Fang, and you."

Blake gasped. She backed away from Sapphire, but the increase in physical distance did nothing to make him any less imposing.

"You were Adam Taurus's partner," he snarled. "He nearly killed, and is even now still killing me. I've lived my life for revenge, be it against the world or our – the team's – enemies. That's right; I live for the sole purpose of killing you, amongst the other pieces of trash I have to wipe out.

"But you. What are you living for?"

"I- I-" Blake stuttered, unable to say anything coherent.

"You want to forget?" Sapphire asked, rage dripping from every syllable. "You want to deny their very existences, especially when you helped to end so many of them? You dare to say you wish to forget?"

White his back turned to the moon, Sapphire's face was masked by shadows, leaving only those scarlet eyes glowing stubbornly against the night. They reminded Blake of Yang's eyes whenever she got angry, but the similarities were only surface deep; what concern and gentleness that could be found within Yang's anger were nowhere to be seen in Sapphire's eyes. Instead, they were replaced by rage, desperation.

And, inexplicably, a sorrow so profound it was wedged firmly into the crevice of his soul.

If monsters could cry, what would they look like? If they could weep, what would be heard?

Staring at the boy whose black hair and scarlet irises reflected the hostility of beasts, Blake thought she was looking at a Grimm. Those blood red eyes, that mass of black hair that melted into the night – reminiscent of the bodies of those monsters – and the rage of a lost soul, hurt and confused. Even though her mind was in a state of panic, Blake still felt something other than fear towards the monster before her.

Pity.

His eyes were filled with rage. His irises were drowned in fury. His voice was choked by hate. Yet, everything about the boy just felt… Sad. Looking at the mercenary who stood alone, yet always said 'we' whenever he was with the rest of the team, Blake had one peculiar thought coursing through her mind:

_If monsters could look this sad, would we still be able to kill them?_

"I-I didn't kill anybody," Blake said at last, having managed to find her voice. "It's true that I was once a part of the White Fang, but I never killed anyone I-"

"That's quite enough," Ozpin's voice said from somewhere. Somehow, he had managed to appear out of thin air again, holding that trademark cane of his. "All students have to be in bed at such an hour. It's important to have ample rest, you know."

Without another word, Blake turned and dashed for the stairs, vanishing from sight almost instantly. Sapphire, however, remained where he was.

"I can't kill her like this," he said, the anger ebbing away from his tone. "Those eyes… She's not the Monochrome I have to kill. Not yet."

"People change," Ozpin offered. "While I do not know about her past, I think it is safe to say that Ms Belladonna is not some cold-hearted murderer. I can vouch for that. As a matter of fact, I can vouch for everyone here in Beacon, including yourself."

"I live for revenge," Sapphire reminded him. "I belong on the execution grounds, whether or not it's my head that's on the guillotine."

"And yet, here you are. I'm sure you will find another reason to live for," Ozpin replied confidently. "Not everyone gets a second chance, but it doesn't mean that they can't choose to start over."

Sapphire said nothing. He had no intention of starting a debate anyhow.

"Perhaps someday you will find that there's more to life than just fighting and revenge," Ozpin said. "The first step would be to open up your heart to those around you. Maybe you could even tell them your sister's name, which you have not told even me."

"You came here just to tell me that?" Sapphire asked, becoming increasingly impatient.

"That reminds me," Ozpin said, producing two rectangular blocks – one white, one black – from seemingly out of nowhere and passed them to him. "Your weapons have arrived. It seems the maintenance managed to finish on time."

"I should have done it myself," Sapphire muttered, slipping on the gloves attached to the blocks. "I'm the one who made them after all."

With a swift forward thrust of both hands, Sapphire set both blocks into motion, producing a series of clicking sounds. The blocks unfolded into two crossbows resting against his arms.

At a glance, they looked like regular crossbows, albeit a little smaller to allow fitting onto Sapphire's arms. However, upon closer inspection, the elastic limbs of the crossbows were finely curved blades each with an elastic string – no doubt of great endurance – attached to the edges.

With a flick of his wrist, Sapphire watched as the crossbows folded themselves back into the blocks, but this time a sharp blade extended from their respective ends, reaching forward in the same direction as his outstretched fingers. While in crossbow form the blades had stretched out to the sides, now they were folded neatly in the middle, placed neatly next to each other as they pointed forward, resting on the back of Sapphire's hands like two giant, outstretched claws.

Returning the weapons to their crossbow forms, Sapphire inspected the front of the weapons, paying careful attention to the holes drilled just beneath the platform where the arrows would be loaded.

"Fair enough," he commented, reaching inside his shirt and pulling out a couple of small, thin arrows, loading them into each weapon meticulously and swiftly.

"Very interesting, as usual," Ozpin said, looking at the white crossbow on Sapphire's left hand. "Daybreak," he turned to the black one on his right, "And Duskfall."

"They feel alright," Sapphire admitted. "Just need to check their functions in battle now. When's the next battle class?"

"You should consider just trying them out without fighting," Ozpin suggested. "That would save you much pain, I daresay."

"Pain is nothing," Sapphire retorted dismissively. "Besides, I have to fight. It's all I live for."

"Well, if that's how you feel," Ozpin said, offering a fraction of a benign smile, "Why not spar with me right now?"


	5. 05 - Reason to Live

**Welcome to Chapter 5! Do mind that I don't own RWBY, but:**

**Sapphire Fall and his weapons, Daybreak and Duskfall, are created by me. The song that'll be appearing from this chapter onward is also original. I figured I might as well give him a song of his own and well… That's it.**

**The tune would likely be difficult to imagine, so I might become temporarily insane and actually record the song and upload it somewhere. Don't look forward to that.**

**Aaanyway, moving on…**

* * *

><p><em>In the world where heroes die<em>

_In the world where tears flow and never dry_

Sapphire looked up from beneath the blankets, searching for the source of that song. He had no idea what song that was, but he recognized the singer's voice. He knew it was Cinder singing.

_In the world where the lights wane and fade into the night_

_In the world where the monsters come and fight_

He always wondered what her expression must have been. He had never seen Cinder cry, but with the sorrowful tune of the song hanging in the air, what other expression could she be making?

_In the world where dreams are lies_

_In the world where innocence weeps and cries_

He pressed his ear against the cold wood, listening to the song. Where had Cinder learned it? He had only ever heard it late at night, when he was supposed to be asleep.

_In the world where your justice is nothing but a lie_

_In the night where the darkness ignores your cry_

He did not want to continue listening. He hated hearing Cinder's voice so sad. It made her seem much weaker than the usual, strong big sister she was supposed to be.

His hand on the doorknob, Sapphire paused. He had believed the song to be one of nothing but sorrow and despair, but the lyrics that followed made him stop. It made him think about Daddy's words. It made him want to keep listening.

Leaning against the door and humming along to the song, Sapphire let himself fall asleep with a faint smile on his face.

* * *

><p>"Are you serious?"<p>

Ozpin did not reply. He simply returned Sapphire's gaze, and in the absence of verbal exchange much was said with an uncanny eloquence.

Having received his reply, Sapphire attacked.

Despite the distance between them, Sapphire punched twice, hitting nothing but air. With a sharp 'click', two arrows shaped like thick needles launched forward, aimed straight at Ozpin's chest.

He was aiming to wound, not kill. With a millimeter of a smile, Ozpin deflected them with his cane with relative ease. Sapphire was already charging, firing another punch in the process. In addition to the clicking sound, however, a gunshot followed immediately after this time.

The bullet from Daybreak hit the same arrow fired just before, which had also been shot from the same weapon. The arrow broke in a burst of sparks, its body shattering in mid-air and sending countless pieces of shrapnel towards Ozpin.

"Visual deception," Ozpin stated calmly, jumping backwards to escape the tiny metal pieces that proceeded to dig deeply into the ground beneath his feet. "Using arrows that can be seen, then using a follow-up attack by suddenly removing the visual target, accompanied by a wide-area, faster attack. Dynes' technique, I suppose."

"You talk too much," Sapphire hissed, closing in and aiming a punch at the side of Ozpin's face. Before the fist could connect and before the arrow could fire, Ozpin had already pushed Sapphire's arm away with his cane.

Ducking to avoid the swing of the cane, Sapphire punched – and fired a bullet – right at Ozpin's feet. The older man simply stepped back with ease, while Sapphire used the force to push himself away.

"I'd like to request that you refrain from firing them," Ozpin said. "Too much noise will disturb the students, you see."

"Fine," Sapphire conceded, flicking his wrists and changing his weapons to their blade forms. Kicking off the ground hard, he charged again, drawing two silver trails by his side as he ran.

His first swing parried by that wretched cane, throwing off his sense of balance. Supporting his body on one leg, Sapphire used the momentum to throw a stab at Ozpin's left shoulder. When that too got parried, he kicked the ground hard and managed to produce enough force to pull off a front flip axe kick.

Anticipating the direction in which Ozpin would dodge, Sapphire swung his blade to the right, tearing off a piece of fabric from Ozpin's suit. He aimed another stab at his chest-

Before stopping abruptly and switching to a leg sweep instead. Without as much as a twitch to his body posture, Ozpin stopped the attack with his cane.

Regaining his footing, Sapphire stabbed at Ozpin's gut, only for it to be blocked by one hand. He aimed another at Ozpin's chest, which was evaded with ease. Using the built up momentum, Sapphire launched a roundhouse kick, but his leg hit nothing but air as Ozpin avoided it simply by taking a step back.

Unfazed, Sapphire leapt forward, his left fist and blade aiming for Ozpin's head while his right reached for the hand holding the cane. Ozpin caught the blade with two fingers, but allowed the mercenary to hold and immobilize the hand with the cane.

With a powerful jump, Sapphire brought up both legs, his body held in place by Ozpin's previous move. Launching both boots forward, he let loose a vicious kick at where Ozpin had been moments before, had he not let go of the blade and stepped to the side.

Bringing up the hand clutching the cane, Ozpin lifted one leg and kicked the back of Sapphire's knees, causing them to buckle. Using the momentary immobility created by being in the air, he pushed him down with his free hand onto the concrete, knocking the wind out of the young soldier.

"Stop," he said, placing the tip of his cane at Sapphire's throat: a warning for him to not try and move. "I think that's enough for now. Do you see the point I'm trying to make?"

"What're you talking about?" Sapphire snapped.

"You're not capable of fighting enemies beyond the caliber of monsters right now," Ozpin explained patiently. "Your Semblance might make you strong; I'd wager you might even be physically superior to anyone in Beacon right now, but that doesn't mean you'd necessarily win a battle. Your speed and power are amazing, but the more you fight the more it adds on to the burden your body experiences. No one can fight like that."

Sapphire involuntarily winced, evidently proving Ozpin's point.

"The more your abilities increase," Ozpin went on, "The more pain and damage you cause yourself. That pain and damage contribute to increasing your abilities even further, which in turn worsens your suffering. That might be effective against the Grimm, but that would never work against a proper Hunter or Huntress who has technique."

Sapphire lay there, unmoving, as he listened. His retort had died at his throat.

"You've become better at hiding your pain," Ozpin observed, removing his cane. "It must hurt, especially after that scuffle you had at the front gate. You realize the similarities you and the Ursas you destroyed share, yes? You both have bodies and physical power greater than any normal human being, but you can't control them. Such a man cannot be allowed to fight."

Getting down onto one knee to look Sapphire in the eyes, Ozpin switched to a less stern tone.

"We do not live in the past," he said, his voice ringing in Sapphire's ears. "We learn from it, but we ultimately move on. You let the past motivate you, shape a part of your identity, but never let it control you. Like Professor Oobleck rightly says all the time, 'if you cannot learn from it, you are destined to repeat it'. You cannot treat yourself like a weapon solely meant for revenge; you have the responsibility to those who have left their footprints in your past. You owe it to them to see yourself as a person, and you deserve happiness just like everyone else."

As much as Sapphire wanted to ignore the long-winded lecture, he still heard every word. He wanted more than anything to deny those words, to vehemently object, but the words had already triggered something in him.

"I'm not asking you to stop," Ozpin said, getting to his feet. "All I ask is that you observe the world around you a little more before you dive into battle. You might see some interesting things or people that will change your mind."

Having spoken his mind, Ozpin turned and walked away without another word, leaving only the night sky filling Sapphire's vision with countless spots of light across a dark, overbearing canvas.

Now alone, Sapphire slowly got to his feet, before collapsing to his knees with a groan; the pain was unexpectedly bad. Using his hands to support himself, stubbornly refusing to fall, he stared at the callous grey concrete as a few dark circles bloomed on it before his eyes.

Sapphire paused to look at those circles. It was definitely not rain, so it had to be the perspiration. Had he been that worked up over that farce of a battle with Ozpin, though?

Several droplets fell this time, staining the concrete with circles of darker grey with their sheer volume. Sapphire opened his mouth to voice out his bewilderment, only to hear a shaky breath escape his lips.

As he stared, Sapphire began feeling the heat from the warm rivers sliding down his cheeks, threatening to become a roaring cascade. He shut his eyes, hoping to squeeze out the last of the tears and stop them for good.

But they did not end. Burning hot liquid burst from his eyes, despite his efforts to keep them contained. His voice returned, only to have been reduced to nothing but choked whimpers.

"What do I do?" he whispered; his intended holler had lost all strength, drowned out by his tears. "If I can't fight, what am I…?"

Sobbing, the black-haired soldier lifted his head – an action that by no means slowed his tears. The trails burning like acid down his flesh from the blue jewels that were his eyes sparkled, flickering helplessly against the massive shroud of the night.

"What do I do, Sis?" he pleaded. The rest of his words, his thoughts, vanished in a wave of fresh tears.

* * *

><p>Silently leaving the wall she was leaning against, Yang Xiao Long paused briefly before descending the darkened steps.<p>

_Asking about Blake can wait, I guess_, she said to herself in her head. As she walked, the echoes of her footsteps did nothing except howling the question ignited by the sight of that former soldier.

_If either Ruby or I lost each other, would the one left behind be like that?_

In the distance, in a place no one could reach, a broken marionette cried.


	6. 06 - Common Interests

**Greetings and thank you for reaching up till Chapter 6! The first character to be covered will be Blake Belladonna, with some others here and there. Team RWBY members will get their turns for character development, and Team JNPR will be added in between. But let's go to Blake's arc for now.**

**Without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Hey Saph, what's that?"<p>

Looking up from the pair of blocks in his hands, Sapphire shot his teammate a grin.

"It's my weapon," he declared, wearing them on his arms. "Or weapons, rather."

"You customized them on your own?" his teammate asked, eyes wide with surprise. "Gosh, I didn't figure you were a weapons nut."

"Hey, it's efficient," Sapphire defended, alternating Daybreak from crossbow mode, to default harmless block, to gun mode (or rather, mini arm-cannon mode), to bladed form. "This way it's both a melee and a ranged weapon."

"Yup, weapons nut indeed," the other man said, receiving a playful kick in the shin.

"Mark my words," Sapphire said in a mock threatening tone, the mischievous smile not leaving his face. "Someday, someone will come to appreciate custom weaponry."

"Yeah, like the goofballs at Signal," his conversation partner replied, rolling his eyes.

* * *

><p>Weiss Schnee, ace huntress in training who never suffered from indecision, was torn between confusion and exasperation. Last night, Blake had burst into the room in the middle of the night, clumsily tripping over tables, chairs, and even her own bed, waking everyone up. She refused to talk about it, and Yang had left the room in a hurry upon hearing Sapphire's name being mentioned. When the usually bubbly blonde returned, even she just kept quiet and shrugged off any enquiries with vague replies.<p>

Now, to make matters worse, her blundering buffoon of a team leader was ogling at Sapphire's weapons, completely forgetting the events of the previous night and instead focusing on the white and black blocks on his arms. Now that she thought about it, Ruby had only been half-awake during last night's little incident. The hopeless dolt was honestly beyond saving.

"Is that a custom-made weapon?!" Ruby exclaimed, practically glowing with excitement as her silver eyes sparkled.

"Er…" Sapphire looked around for help, but Yang was not paying attention and Blake was concentrating on her untouched breakfast. That left only Weiss.

"Ignore her," she said, turning back to her food with a roll of her eyes. "She's a complete weapons maniac!"

"I am not!" Ruby protested, momentarily pulling her gaze away from Daybreak and Duskfall to retort. "I just have a fascination about weapons is all!"

"You customize your own weapons as well?" Sapphire asked hopefully.

"Yup!" Ruby declared proudly, drawing Crescent Rose from her back and letting it morph into its scythe form. "This is Crescent Rose!"

"A foldable scythe… No, it's part rifle," Sapphire observed. "It can fire even in its folded up form, right?"

"Sure!" Ruby exclaimed happily. "It fires in scythe form just as well!"

"So the blade can be used as a foothold against recoil," Sapphire mused. "How did you solve the problem with the blades and the smaller fixtures that interfere with the axis?"

"Oh, sweet lord," Weiss groaned, bringing a palm to her forehead. "Now we have TWO weapons maniacs here."

Completely oblivious to their surroundings, Ruby and Sapphire continued their animated discussion about weapons. Blake occasionally stole a glance or two at Sapphire, looking at the expression that appeared to be genuine amusement.

How was he able to smile after last night? The person Blake had encountered the night before was in no way even remotely similar to the laughing youth she saw now.

_I live for revenge._

Those words echoed in her head ominously, bringing with them countless images of her life before Beacon. She thought about the face behind that mask, that blood-red hair, as they faded into the distance because of the carriage she had cut. Because of the decisions she had made. Because she had chosen to leave him behind.

What if he lived for revenge after that, now after Blake's life? What would she do? Blake was not someone who plunged her hands into the blood of her enemies willingly. She had not walked the path of the demon because she had enjoyed the bloodshed and the violence.

Yet, the bloodshed and violence followed her even now.

"Hey, I've got a question," Ruby said, suddenly becoming a little more reserved. "If those Gunknifebows are your weapons, then what are the boots for?"

"Is it odd to be fighting with two pairs of weapons?" Sapphire asked, raising an eyebrow at the name 'Gunknifebow'. "The boots are… sub weapons, I guess. I do have the tendency to use them for time to time; our training demanded that we have more than one set of weapons just in case we lose our main one in combat. Aura and Semblance are typically last resorts."

"Can those boots fire off anything other than grenades?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Sapphire admitted. "It functions as a mobile armor, because of its nature as a prototype for a semi-automated weaponized armor. I had to reduce its specs to compensate for my condition, though."

"Your condition?" Weiss asked, not liking the sound of that; she had heard of something similar being developed by her company, but those were meant to be prosthetics meant for people who had lost their limbs.

"The com- Ozpin didn't tell you?" Sapphire asked. "Figures. The cells in my legs are constantly breaking apart right now, and this leg armor repairs that damage around the clock. It preserves my legs to an extent and prevents the disintegration from reaching the rest of my body. The constant work it has to do made me remove some of its battle capacity."

Blake froze. The world was spinning all of a sudden, even though no one else seemed to notice.

_He nearly killed, and is even now still killing me_.

She understood it then. Sapphire had somehow survived Adam's technique at some point in his life, but he had not emerged from it unscathed. The effects of that attack were still slowly but surely eating away at his body, killing him while powering up that suicidal Semblance.

Noting Blake's unnatural shaking, Yang suddenly stood up and grabbed Sapphire by the sleeve of his uniform.

"Hey, Sapphire," she said in a strangely tense tone. "We gotta talk."

* * *

><p>"Calm down, blondie," Sapphire said briskly. Then he noticed the look on her face. "Whoa, I thought you were the sunshine of the group. Why the-"<p>

"I overheard last night," Yang said abruptly. The lighthearted look on Sapphire's face slid off almost instantly. "I was looking for you because I thought you said something to Blake, and she was really shaken by it. Then-I-saw-you-and-it-made-me-think-of-me-and-Ruby-and-I-wanted-to-both-as-a-sister-and-a-member-of-the-team-talk-to-you-about-it-because-I-really-don't-like-it-when-things-get-gloomy."

Sapphire blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

"Could you slow down and speak English?" he asked.

Taking a few deep breaths, Yang calmed herself down and repeated everything at a slower pace. When she finally finished, Sapphire simply looked exasperated.

"First off, how much did you overhear or see?" he asked, his voice flat.

"Some parts of the fight," Yang admitted. "And what happened afterwards. I want to apologize for that, but I also want to know what happened. Blake is a precious teammate and an irreplaceable friend, but I just can't bring myself to ask her right now."

"I see," Sapphire sighed. He was already cursing himself inside his head for being so soft. "If you must know, I told Belladonna I'd kill her because she was once a part of the White Fang and murdered my team."

The scene seemed to freeze. Even Yang, the cheerful bundle of energy, could not find a reply. Sapphire waited her out, as though he had already gotten used to such situations.

"I know she's not a part of them now," he said, when it seemed like Yang would not be speaking up anytime soon. "And I know she's more docile than your typical murderer, so much so that it'd be difficult to believe she'd do something like that. But it doesn't change the fact that she's someone I must kill."

"Is that what your sister would have wanted?" Yang asked.

Sapphire stiffened. He had not expected that comeback.

"I don't mean to pry," Yang went on. "But I have a sister I have to take care of. And I know that I would never let her become a murderer. I'm not just asking for Blake; I'm also asking as a big sister: please don't live for revenge. I mean, look at you! Your legs are-"

"Ozpin was right," Sapphire said, cutting her off. "You guys really don't get it. Even though you're training to become Hunters and Huntresses, you can't understand what we do."

"That goes for you, too!" Yang raised her voice, a red glow dominating her once lilac eyes. "Why can't you see things the way a normal person would?! Why don't you care about yourself or other people?! That kind of stubbornness almost cost me and Ruby our lives! I don't want to see someone else make that same stupid mistake!"

"What is there to care about?" Sapphire snapped, his voice dangerously low. Now that he was agitated, his control wavered, turning his eyes a deep shade of red. "Everyone I ever cared for has died. I'm a rotting pile of flesh inches away from death. What is there to care about besides revenge? Do I have to sympathize with those who took away what I valued?"

Yang was about to say something else, but decided to calm herself instead. Her eyes bore into his – those red irises must have resembled hers, even though they felt worlds apart – searching for something. Something her instincts told her had to be there. She held up one finger.

"One week," she said, "Take one week to observe Blake and then you can decide what to do then. How's that?"

Sapphire was unsure if he was supposed to laugh or yell at her. There was no way he was going to listen to her, to follow that absurd, arbitrary rule.

"You could study the way she fights," Yang added, as though she could read his thoughts. "In that time, you can learn more about her. Then you'll see that she's not the White Fang goon you're out to kill."

Would being with these children – these naïve Huntresses-to-be – really change his perception? The unwavering spirit that burned in Yang's eyes told him that she was dead serious. She had that much faith in Blake, the woman whose past she did not know much of. In her teammate. Her partner. Her friend. It was a sentiment that not only piqued his interest, but tightened the knot in his chest.

"Okay, Big Sister," he said. "One week."


	7. 07 - Right and Wrong

**Here's Chapter 7! The story's been planned pretty far now, so I do hope you'll stay with me till the end! It might be quite a long journey, so brace yourself!**

**Do note that Cinder's espionage suit and combat abilities will be taken with reference from the original series as of Volume 2 Episode 7, and might change depending on the canon. **

**Anyway, please proceed for Chapter 7!**

* * *

><p>They treated them like monsters, so they donned the face of monsters.<p>

They forced their hand, so they retaliated.

They refused to recognize them, so one side had to fall. If co-existing was not possible, the extermination of one side was not only logical, but necessary.

Forcing herself to believe those words, Blake Belladonna wore the face of a Monster.

* * *

><p>Blake had seen many things in her life. She had been dragged into countless dangerous situations and had always emerged victorious, generally unscathed to boot. Her mind was always calm, clear, and she always knew what to do.<p>

Now, she could not for the life of her figure things out.

The only source of light available was the small lamp on the table. All around her, darkness permeated the walls, circling the tiny bright spot in the center of the room.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough," her interrogator said, pushing up her glasses as her blond hair swayed lightly above her eyes. "I wanted to hear the truth, Ms Belladonna."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Blake replied truthfully.

"Is that right?" the blonde asked. "Well then, maybe we can try getting a little… Creative."

"W-what are you going to do to me?" Blake asked warily. She recognized that tone, and it sent shivers down her spine.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," the woman replied, an evil smile blossoming across her face. "We just want to be a little persuasive to get you to cooperate, that's all."

"Yang, I-" Blake began.

"Silence!" Yang roared, slamming a fist onto the table, making the lamp shake dangerously. The action made the sunglasses slide off her nose a little. "I wish to hear nothing but the truth from you! And since I have not heard that yet… Men!"

From their respective corners of the room, Ruby and Weiss walked forward, seemingly having forgotten of Blake's night vision. While the Ice Queen put her arms beneath Blake's armpits and locked her fingers behind Blake's head, Ruby began to remove the bow on her head.

"H-hey!" Blake protested, but it was useless; Weiss might have been physically weaker than she was, but the position they picked had given the heiress the upper hand.

"I hereby sentence thee…" Yang declared, holding up a feather. "To continuous Faunus-ear tickling until you answer!"

Blake instantly turned white as sheet.

* * *

><p>"Are they always like this?" Sapphire asked, listening to the ruckus pouring out from Team RWBY's room.<p>

"Only sometimes," Pyrrha replied, shaking her head with a small giggle.

"Yeah, only when they're together," Jaune added, joining Pyrrha for a laugh. "You should have seen the crater Ruby made on the first day here."

"And are you guys often like that?" Sapphire asked.

"Like what?" Jaune and Pyrrha asked at the same time.

"Do you always come here to make out on the roof while the other two do it in the room?" Sapphire clarified. "Or do you guys alternate between who gets the room and who gets the roof?"

Pyrrha instantly went red in the face, her wide eyes staring into the distance. Jaune just simply started stuttering.

"Ah-I-Er-I-I-er-" he fumbled, then found the word he was looking for. "Yes."

There was a moment of silence where Sapphire smirked and nodded to himself, while Pyrrha stared at her boyfriend in open disbelief.

"Jaune!" she scolded, more in utter shock than anger.

"I-I-What I meant to say was," Jaune tried, hastily correcting himself. "W-was that Pyrrha and I sometimes come here to practice. F-fighting, of course! Sparring and the like!"

He managed a weak, awkward laugh after that, but it did not wipe of the look of disapproval off of Pyrrha's face.

"Well, I guess I won't disturb you guys then," Sapphire offered, heading towards the stairs. "Good luck with your – ahem – 'practicing'."

"It's not what you think it is!" Jaune and Pyrrha protested in unison.

* * *

><p>Raising a hand to knock, Sapphire paused when he found out that the door of Team JNPR's room was still ajar. He considered just walking in, especially given the cacophony from Team RWBY's room. Opting for the more civilized part of the façade he chose to wear in public, he rapped his fingers on the fine wood.<p>

"Come in~" Nora's unmistakable sing-song voice replied.

"W-wai-" what appeared to be Ren's voice protested, but Sapphire had already walked in.

"I thought I'd return this," he said, holding up the bottle of Samurai Shampoo. "It had 'Lie Ren' written on- What in the name of all that's holy are you doing?"

Ren groaned as he let his face sink back into the mattress. He was naked save the one towel wrapped around his private parts, and Nora was sitting on him, hands on his back.

"Back massage!" Nora responded happily. "We used to do this every night before Ren became too shy for it for some reason~"

"Right," Sapphire replied, dragging out the 'i'. "Well, I won't get in the way of this very… interesting… thing… that you're doing. Uh, have fun."

"Thank you~"

"W-wait, it's not-"

* * *

><p><em>What am I doing?<em>

Sapphire sighed, continuing to walk aimlessly.

_They're all just a bunch of kids_, he thought. _There's no point in pretending to be in love just to act normal, but why on earth are they bothering with crap that won't help them in combat otherwise?_

He had seen faces like that before. Faces that belonged to his comrades. Faces blinded by the irrational thought they called love.

Faces that eventually become dyed in despair.

His name had been Tyler Morris. Her name had been Amelia Anderson. They had made no attempt at hiding the fact that they were dating. After particularly difficult missions, they would kiss openly and vigorously, often causing Sapphire to roll his eyes and pretend to gag while Mercury made supposedly witty remarks about them next to him.

He died protecting her from a drone attack. It was slow death, with a laser burning right through his spine but not his heart. She felt him die in her arms, slowly but surely bleeding out every last bit of life in him. But before he could even breathe his last breath, she was stabbed through the heart before his eyes. Simple actions, simple facts – all happened so swiftly that it was difficult to process nonetheless.

Sapphire remembered the scene that became emblazoned in his mind. It all happened so quickly he had thought he was dreaming. He recalled little of what happened after that, except for the smoldering hell that greeted him when his mind finally recovered from the shock. From what Mercury told him afterwards, Sapphire had gone on a rampage, destroying everything and anything that stood in his way. The prototype for the Mobile Armory Combat Boots (MACB) he and Mercury had been testing at the time broke from his excessive use, but not before it unleashed fiery destruction on the entire facility in the form of lasers, explosives, bullets and small missiles.

He spoke to the commander shortly after that. Instead of reprimanding him, the man had consoled him, saying that he was glad Sapphire had lost his cool over his teammates. He had said that rage was proof he had a 'heart', and solid evidence that he did not live solely for fighting, no matter how much the boy denied those words.

"Your anger for them proves you have a caring heart," Ozpin had said. "It is that sentiment you possess that convinces me that hope still remains."

That was the day Sapphire was chosen over Mercury to be the test pilot of 'Lifesaver'.

* * *

><p>Reaching for the hidden zipper on the side of his pants, Sapphire unzipped them all the way to his thighs, revealing a large cluster of intricate silver machinery. Each leg was covered up till just above the knee with a complex looking machine resembling a long boot, but lined with countless gears and parts amongst a knife, a gun, a row of grenades and a belt of ammunition.<p>

Taking out a case of Dust and loading it through the slit near the top, Sapphire waited while the machines hummed softly. He had originally refused to be the test dummy for it, but Lifesaver – a prototype for some kind of fully weaponized leg armor – was now what kept him alive from Adam's attack. He scoffed at how the nameless machine had been named by Ozpin, the man who seemed to really like naming things for some reason, in the way it had despite originally being a weapon.

This was what the life of a Hunter was supposed to be. This was the life Sapphire and those around him led: They put their lives on the line constantly, whether they were in a mission or not. But what of these children? They fall in love, have fun, act like actual kids, but they claimed to be warriors; what part of them could fight and win a war?

A curious man called Qrow had once told him that he fought to protect the laughter and smiles of those around him. He told him that he battled to preserve the peace kept by those who could not fight. If everyone wielded a weapon, there would only be violence. Peace could only be established and maintained by those who do not swing around the intent to kill. In the end, it was the duty of those who hold the weapon called Violence to protect those who would bring about peace. For those who could not protect themselves.

Listening to Blake Belladonna's laugh, muffled by the door of her team's room, Sapphire grit his teeth in annoyance. He had promised her one week, and no more.

* * *

><p>Panting heavily as she tried to find words to express her feelings, Blake twitched every now and then. Her teammates were equally exhausted, having spent much energy restraining the Faunus for so long.<p>

"You're… tougher than you look," Yang panted.

"I… Should have never… Told you guys… My ears were sensitive…" Blake replied, not bothering to get up from the floor. "What on Remnant… is this about…?"

"We wanted to know about what was bothering you," Weiss replied, groaning as her arms ached. "We wanted to hear the full story and then help you and Sapphire get along."

"I told them some parts," Yang said, sitting up. "But I thought it'd be better for you to tell us yourself."

"You could have just said that to begin with," Blake complained, getting up and massaging her Faunus ears. "I had no idea what was going on because you didn't tell me what you wanted to know!"

"Oh," Yang said. "I forgot to mention that? Oops! But it was fun, so I guess that ended well!"

"I swear, Yang…" Weiss groaned, fixing her hair as she sat on her bed. "My lifespan's shortened because of you."

"But it was fun!" Ruby cheered, still lying on the floor. "I didn't know Blake could shriek like that! It was so cute!"

"Give me a minute before we begin," Blake requested, striding over to Ruby.

"U-uh, Blake?" Ruby asked fearfully, backing away from her. "U-um, I- WAIT! WHAT'RE YOU GOING TO DO WITH-"

Yang made a mental note to count the number of times Ruby yelled 'uncle' after that.

* * *

><p>"So that's it," Blake concluded. "I can't say I blame him, but… But I…"<p>

As she struggled for the right words to say, Blake let the resulting silence fill in the gap. Yang was tactful enough to keep quiet, Ruby was sprawled on the floor in an undignified manner, and Weiss was fuming.

"Is that it?" She asked, causing everyone to look at the white-haired girl. "That's all you're concerned about? Do you have any idea how worried we were because of that?"

"Wh-what're you-" Blake began, but Weiss stopped her with a raised index finger.

"So what if that happened in the past?" She snapped. "What're you so worried about? He's clearly in the wrong for forcing all the blame on you! He said it himself that he was a mercenary who didn't take sides; that'll just make him more enemies out of people who've already chosen one! Besides, they wanted to kill you, right? You just fought back in self-defense! Which idiot wouldn't fight back when someone else tries to take their life?! Even that blockhead Ruby has enough common sense for that!"

"Hey!" Ruby said in protest.

"Wow, Weiss," Yang commented. "I didn't expect you to say that."

"Y-yeah," Blake agreed. "That was kinda unexpected."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Weiss asked. "I was actually worried about you and this is what I get?!"

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled, pouncing on the Ice Queen and hugging her, causing both of them to collapse back onto the bed. "You're the best teammate ever!"

"G-get off me, you dunce!" Weiss said, struggling to get out of Ruby's hold. "And you say something too! You're the team leader, aren't you?!"

"What's there to say?" Ruby asked, letting go of Weiss and looking at her team.

"Excuse me?" Weiss snapped, staring at her with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "Were you not listening to anything we've been discussing this whole time?!"

"I heard you loud and clear," Ruby replied, shielding one ear to protect it from Weiss's yelling. "But what I'm saying is that there's no need to fret."

"What do you mean, sis?" Yang asked.

"There's no way Sapphire would kill anyone," Ruby pointed out, looking a little surprised that no one else had noticed the elephant in the room. "He didn't know what he was doing back then, but he certainly won't kill Blake now. He's a part of Team RWBY now! Even though his name isn't in it…"

"What makes you so sure?" Blake asked. She knew her team leader was confident about many things, and was naïve in equal measure, but this was something else. "He used to be a mercenary; he probably has killed people before for simple revenge or money or something like that."

"But you haven't," Ruby replied. "You were a part of the White Fang but you haven't killed anyone yet. Sapphire's definitely the same; whatever painful memories he has, he won't kill you or anyone. He's a good guy. That's why professor Ozpin trusts him enough to bring him here, right?"

"Well said, sis!" Yang praised, pulling Ruby into a choke hold while playfully messing up her hair. "And also, Blake: remember what Ozpin said the first day Sapphire came in? We were to help him remember what having comrades means! We'll help you, so you can start by getting along with him!"

"We're all friends, aren't we?" Ruby asked, still at Yang's mercy. "And friends help each other out!"

Deep down, Blake wanted to agree. She wanted to believe that those words were true. But as much as she trusted this team, she could not forget those words Sapphire had said.

Blake Belladonna had been an existence surrounded by solitude. Facing a problem that was the boy who stood by himself in the sea of rage and despair, she had the support of the people she could call her friends. She was no longer alone, and she was certainly not afraid or weak. Not anymore.

"Yeah," she said at last, offering her team a warm smile. "You're right."


	8. 08 - Living Armories

**Welcome to Chapter 8!**

**I just realized that the way I made Sapphire and the way Cinder fought in the original series (at the point of Volume 2, Episode 7) actually fit quite well considering their relationship in this fanfic, hence the name of this chapter. Lucky me!**

**Anyway, here we go:**

* * *

><p>Sapphire listened to the man go on and on about something he did not really care about. He did not know who the man was, but the fact that he was the man who gave orders was enough to prevent him from punching that annoying mouth shut. For the time being, anyway.<p>

So he had displayed aptitude for several different types of weapons. So what? Everyone on his team had been trained to be able to wield anything from a stick to a Death Stalker's stinger. They were strictly ordered to carry around a melee weapon and a ranged weapon at all times, which Sapphire had managed to follow by creating Daybreak and Duskfall. That act seemed to have attracted the attention of the higher-ups. Well, that and what he did with the MACB.

"I've seen you in action," the man whose name never registered in Sapphire's head said. "You're capable of handling any kind of weapon, and when it's possible, you're partial to dual-wielding. You prefer arrows over firearms and shorter blades over actual swords, yes?"

"Yes," Sapphire replied curtly. "Sir," he added.

"I was told you modified the Combat Boots after receiving them," the man continued. "What you did in that skirmish with the drones was exactly what we wished to achieve with those weapons. Now, I hope you will agree to test out something even stronger."

Sapphire nodded. It was not as if he had a choice in that matter anyway.

"It has no name yet," the man went on, satisfied with his answer. "But it's not like MACB which will only cover your feet. It's larger and hence has a larger range of weapons and tools. It's like if you could produce any weapon you want out of thin air. Don't you think it'll be the perfect support for battle?"

"Yes, sir," Sapphire muttered. "But what's the catch for all its impressive functions?"

"We altered the design of a recently released advanced prosthesis by the Schnee company," the man said. "It can also artificially regenerate cells in the body, healing wounds more quickly, granted it can't regrow limbs. It's a perfect balance of offense and defense."

In the end, he never did cover the downside of using it. As Sapphire found out later, every other person stupid enough to try it on had died because of the modifications they made. Sapphire's intervention was more to modify it to prevent that issue rather than test the monstrosity itself. Fortunately, his own Semblance saved him from joining that death count.

After it saved him from Adam's attack, the machine began to crumble. While it saved Sapphire's body from disintegrating on the spot, the mercenary's body was not unharmed. In the few desperate seconds where his Semblance flared and made the world slow down to almost a pause, Sapphire altered the machinery to maximize its healing properties. As a side-effect, it also sealed most of his Aura, making his Semblance a lot weaker than it should have been.

Ever since then, he had not released the full potential of his Semblance. If Sapphire ever crossed that line, it would be when the machine could no longer be called a Lifesaver. It would be when Sapphire, fueled by the full throttle capacity of his Semblance, became the perfect weapon alongside the full power of the lethal mobile armory. It would be when he was ready to die, undoubtedly dragging the world along with him.

That line, as well as the one form Lifesaver never took, was appropriately named 'Genocide Mode'.

* * *

><p>"Dynes speaking."<p>

"Hey," Sapphire said into the receiver, his tone grave.

"You know, Saph," the man on the other end of the call said. "If you keep talking like that, someday they'll hire you to give eulogies at funerals."

"You sound chipper," Sapphire replied.

"As well as I can be," the man answered. Sapphire imagined he must have shrugged his shoulders as he said that.

He was Patrick Dynes, a former member of the mercenary team Sapphire had joined. He was forced to retire shortly after Sapphire was recruited, but the two of them talked a lot after Mercury's betrayal. He was by no means combat ready like Sapphire, having lost an arm and a leg in one of the larger scale missions. Even his odd Semblance, which allowed him to manipulate people's memories, could now no longer be used as often as before.

"How're you holding up?" Sapphire asked. "You had a checkup scheduled today, as I recall."

"The usual stuff came up," Patrick replied with a hint of boredom in his voice. "Doctor told me to find ways to keep my stress levels low, and said if I kept using my Semblance I'd either die or suffer severe irreversible memory loss myself. I can quote him word for word now. Honestly, I'd tell him to stop wasting my time and money if not for the sexy nurse who works with him."

"So you just need to stop using your Semblance," Sapphire concluded. "Sounds easy enough."

"I guess," Patrick agreed, albeit somewhat halfheartedly. "How're you, though? Beacon any fun?"

"Hardly," Sapphire replied, heaving a sigh. "I don't get to work out much."

"With good reason," Patrick said, his voice stern. "You really ought to go for that sur-"

"Nice talking to you, Pat," Sapphire cut across him. "Glad to hear you're alright."

"Wait, Saph-"

But Sapphire had already hung up. Staring into the distance for a few seconds, the black-haired mercenary headed back to the dorm.

* * *

><p>His first reaction upon entering the room was to ready his weapons. The following reaction was a groan muffled by a facepalm. Then he sighed.<p>

"Alright, who started it?" he asked, walking into what seemed like the aftermath of a hurricane. Or a horde of trampling Ursas.

Pillows in hand, all four members of Team RWBY demonstrated superb teamwork by pointing to one another: Ruby pointed at Yang, Yang at Blake, Blake at Weiss and Weiss at Ruby.

Cursing under his breath, Sapphire surveyed the damage caused by the pillow war. He was surprised to find that there were no holes in the walls and ceilings to suggest the usage of weapons.

"Goodwitch is gonna pop a blood vessel," he muttered. "How are you guys not expelled for stuff like this?"

"Weiss's background is very persuasive," Yang replied, earning a pillow to the face.

As retaliation followed shortly after, signaling the start of Round Two, Sapphire could feel a vague pang of jealousy swelling up inside him.

The smiles on their faces were genuine and the happiness they felt was true. How could people live like that despite being fighters, as though they had not a single care in the world? Where did they find that shield to keep out the sorrows of reality?

Hastily leaving the room, Sapphire almost immediately collapsed against the wall. Leaning against the callous concrete, the former soldier clamped a stiff hand to his chest, where a sharp pain emanated.

Was he envious? Was he bitter that those could experience a happiness he had only experienced briefly in a distant past, as a mere fragment of a now shattered dream? He was a soldier. He was a mercenary. He was a killer. He had no use for those pointless emotions.

Yet, the tight knot in his chest simply would not untangle itself.

With trembling lips, he began to hum. He hummed the song his sister used to sing, being unable to speak. He tried to soothe his nerves, to regain his shaky control, but he could feel it slipping.

"Fall?"

He instantly went silent, looking up from where he sat at the familiar face of Blake Belladonna with as stoic an expression as he could muster.

"What're you doing?" she asked, closing the door behind her.

"Trying to avoid the active war zone," Sapphire replied, his voice still somewhat shaky. He failed to notice that the noise on the other side of the door had already died down.

"What was that song?" Blake asked after pregnant pause, sitting down next to him and bringing her knees to her chest. One of the many advices given to her had been to try and get to know Sapphire on her end first, which she was somehow pulling off. "The one you were humming just now."

"Faunus hearing," Sapphire grumbled, in the same way one might say 'dog crap on my shoes'. "It's a song my sister used to sing. Don't ask."

_Because if you ask, my big mouth and I would share it,_ he thought.

"Can you sing it now?" Blake asked. "We could both use the change of mood."

Sapphire wanted to retort. He wanted to flare up and have a repeat of the night he threatened to kill her. But he did make a promise. One week. Besides, Belladonna was right about the change of mood. Who was he kidding? He simply wanted to sing to soothe his nerves.

So he sang. He simply stopped thinking, and sang.

_In the world where Heroes die_

His voice was nowhere as pretty as his sisters, but the words still came out powerful. Now that his ears heard not only the tune but the lyrics as well, Sapphire's control over his emotions slowly returned.

_In the world where tears flow and never dry_

He remembered random images, all flashing by in his memory like a film on fast-forward. He thought about the night when he was six, hugging his sister to sleep while crying.

_In the world where the lights wane and fade into the night_

He remembered the things he did as a mercenary. He had disguised himself as a Faunus, wore women's clothing, and even pretended to betray his team in order to lead them into the enemy hideout with the signal from the tracking device he held.

_In the world where the monsters come and fight_

Feeling a light weight on his right shoulder, Sapphire turned and saw, much to his surprise, that Blake had fallen asleep. It could not have been her intention, but the Faunus's head had come to rest on him.

Sapphire wanted to laugh. What idiot would let their guard down in front of an enemy like this? He could kill her so easily now. One arrow to the forehead and it would be over in a second. While thinking that, his hand slowly reached for her throat.

He could also choke her. That would cause her a slow, agonizing death so she would be able to regret her foolish behavior, both in the past and now.

But he hesitated. Killing someone who could not fight back seemed so wrong somehow, even if it was Monochrome. Sapphire knew it was not because he was attracted to her. Then what was stopping him? The fact that he had made a promise? Or was it something that he had denied having a long time ago?

"I'm sorry…"

He heard that mutter which sounded uncannily like a whispered prayer.

"I'm sorry."

Then he heard it again. A tinge of sadness was now mixed in, escaping from the lips of the White Fang murderer in her sleep.

"I'm sorry."

Continuing to listen, Sapphire kept still and let her sleep.

Then he saw it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black shadow disappear at the end of the corridor. His senses instantly switching to high alert, he gently pushed off Blake's head and took off softly, following that figure. Blake may have been a light sleeper, but the fatigue and sleepless nights after being threatened by Sapphire had taken their toll and she did not wake at that action.

But he could not simply let her sleep like that outside. Knocking on the door to team RWBY's room hurriedly before chasing after the source of an uneasy feeling, Sapphire activated Daybreak and Duskfall.

* * *

><p>Cinder cursed herself for her stupidity. She was still in her espionage clothes from prowling through some parts of the school, and the faint sound of a song had drawn her in before she changed her outfit. Why she had gone to find the source of that song was unknown even to her.<p>

It could not have been him. He had died years ago, when he was nine. Why was she getting so worked up over it?

"Hold it, miss."

Somewhat glad that she had kept the suit and mask on, Cinder stopped and turned to look at the man who had spoken, undoubtedly the same man who had been singing. His black hair danced in the wind like the mane of a wild animal.

"It's such a beautiful night, you know?" he began, smiling mischievously. Cinder noticed his blue eyes. They looked- no, they _felt_ unnatural, as though they weren't originally of that color. "Such a gorgeous woman like yourself shouldn't be hiding that pretty face behind a mask."

_His mouth reminds me of Mercury_, Cinder thought to herself. _He reminds me of__ someone else, too. But who…?_

"I know it's hard to listen to a guy with two crossbows on his hands," Sapphire said. "But y'know, I could put them down if you just take off that mask and wig."

Although Cinder was not wearing any wig, Sapphire had simply assumed that she was; after all, with hair like that, he could easily recognize her without the mask just by body structure, hair and eye color alone.

"You're making me feel really popular, you know that?" he went on, checking his surroundings. The courtyard they were standing in was not big, but it had enough space for him to fire his arrows and bullets without much worry about getting hit by a stray ricochet. He was pretty sure that this place was remote enough to avoid attracting too much attention as well, which lowered the chances of reinforcements coming in. "How about we get to know each other over coffee and cak-"

A fireball rumbled through the air where his face had been merely moments before with a shrill whistling sound, exploding into countless sparks and flares when it hit the wall behind him. When he looked up, the assailant had a dark long bow in her hands and an arrow ready to fire.

Breaking out of his roll and sprinting towards his adversary, Sapphire fired an arrow of his own. It hit her arrow in mid-air, resulting in a small explosion. Using the smoke as a cover and changing his bows to their bladed form, Sapphire emerged from the cover and slashed.

With a sharp 'clang', his blades met her own pair of grey ones. They were bigger than his, but Sapphire's arm strength was greater. Using one hand to force the pair of blades away, he stabbed at her shoulder.

The masked assailant let go of her swords and used her bare hands to block both of Sapphire's blades. Instead of slicing through flesh, Daybreak and Duskfall had been stopped by what felt like a solid wall of air.

Sapphire continued his assault, launching a flurry of slashes and stabs that drove her back, even if she continued to block every attack. When he thought he could land a fatal blow, Sapphire quickly jumped out of the way before a large spike composed entirely of Dust crashed into the ground with the force of a small meteor.

_She's good with Dust_, Sapphire thought. Unlike him and the mercenaries he had fought with, who used machinery instead of Dust directly, this woman could manipulate Dust skillfully. Not many people Sapphire knew were capable of such a feat without the use of some sort of assistance from machinery or the like. She could create any kind of weapon she wanted, and change her strategy to match her opponent's fighting style and the situation. _No matter; I'll just up my arsenal to match hers._

Slicing off a large part of his pants, Sapphire revealed the two metallic legs that made up Lifesaver. Even if he could not have an entire armory with him by freely manipulating Dust, he had the machine that would make up for it.

If having a wealth of weapons at one's disposal made that person's value as a fighter akin to a diamond's monetary value in the times before Dust, then Cinder would be a naturally formed one while Sapphire would be an artificial diamond. In a contest of strength, the damaged good that was Sapphire was not optimistic about his chances.

Pulling a gun from its slot in the armor, Sapphire fired two bullets as he ran in a circular pattern around the masked woman, throwing the gun at her after the fourth shot.

"How about this?" He asked, pulling out another gun while using the other hand to activate Duskfall and fire an arrow. "You just tell me your name instead of removing that mask, yeah?"

He was already sure he could not hope to distract her that way, but Sapphire tried it anyway; for some reason, he was feeling somewhat chatty. Perhaps Belladonna's sudden change of behavior had something to do with it.

Cinder kept silent as usual, and grabbed the gun as she continued to block the projectiles. Sapphire pulled his thumb away from the gun's grip and pressed a button on the side of the gun, causing the gun in Cinder's hand to explode with a strangely yellow light, along with several sparks of electricity before she could throw it away.

Falling to her knees, Cinder kept still as though she could not move. The explosion had not caused much damage beside a light burn on the hand which held the gun, but it had been infused with well-measured infusions of different types of Dust, making it capable of paralyzing the enemy for lengths of time.

Throwing away the gun in his hand, Sapphire fiddled with Duskfall and in a split second, fired off an arrow. This one was a tranquilizer, and would be enough to settle the fight-

However, Cinder rolled to the side, dodging the arrow and launching another set of spikes at Sapphire. As the mercenary avoided them with a backflip, she got to her feet, summoning the same pair of knives she used at the beginning of their fight.

Changing Duskfall back into its bladed form, Sapphire parried every oncoming blow with his own, mirroring Cinder's actions. It was the first time he had fought a dual-wielding opponent who could manipulate multiple weapons like he could, but for some reason, Sapphire found it surprisingly easy to read his opponent's moves. That could only mean one thing: she was merely playing with him.

Without warning, Sapphire let loose a Dust Grenade, blowing a hole in the ground while sending dust and debris everywhere. Lifesaver responded according to the electric signals its user sent out, and the resulting stress was what caused its previous testers to die of brain activity failure. Sapphire's unique Semblance made his thinking and reaction improve when close to death, which saved him, and now he had leash on this wild beast. In the battle with this mysterious woman, he felt glad for the first time in years to have become apt at using Lifesaver.

When the smoke cleared, Cinder was standing in front of the gate back to the school, far out of Sapphire's reach. She had a confident smile on her face, and a bow loaded with a flame-tipped arrow in her hands.

Sapphire knew he had lost. He could not cover that distance without removing the safety on Lifesaver, but even then he was not sure if he would make it with that arrow she had.

Lifesaver's default mode, the Neutral Mode, concentrated on healing. Genocide Mode, or the third and final stage, was a ravenous beast let off the leash. The form that lay in between them, the Combat Mode, was the only option that could possibly capture her right now.

While he was thinking that, Cinder's arrow exploded in front of Sapphire's face, obscuring his view. He merely shielded his face with his arms, aware that the assailant was escaping.

Without realizing it, Sapphire watched the fires burn, as it once again prevented him from reaching his sister.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Author's notes:<strong>

**I know this wasn't the meeting you expected, but do forgive me; the time is not ripe quite yet. For now, I wanted them to just meet in this setting before their meeting again later in the story (that's not a spoiler, is it?). Until then, please continue to read!**


	9. 09 - To Love a Champion

**Welcome to Chapter 9! This one came really quickly after the previous chapter, so if you skipped Chapter 8 by mistake, do turn back now!**

**I wanted to address a certain blond guy and his girlfriend here. This was meant to be a one-shot, but I decided to make it a part of the story. Besides, I figured the story's mood could use a little bit of lightening. Sorry if it feels OOC…**

* * *

><p>She stood at a place he could not even see, no matter how much he strained his eyes to. She was somewhere he simply could not reach, no matter how far he stretched his hands. She was at a place where his feet could not go, simply because of how extraordinary she was, and how extraordinarily ordinary he was.<p>

But it was precisely because of that reason that Jaune Arc started to run.

* * *

><p>"So, Blake, you free later?" Sun Wukong, bare-chested monkey stowaway extraordinaire, asked the black-haired girl while dangling from a nearby tree with his tail. "Thought we could maybe, y'know, go and catch a movie or something."<p>

"Sorry, Sun," Blake replied, shutting her book. "We have an extra class today, and I honestly have no idea when it's going to end."

"It's cool," Sun answered, somersaulting onto the bench she sat on. "I'm free for the entire afternoon, so lemme know if you wanna hang out."

"Sure," Blake replied awkwardly. She had been feeling that way around Sun ever since the night at the Ball. There was something about his carefree attitude that made her uneasy, but not in such a bad way.

"Say, Blake," Sun said, furrowing his brow. "Is something the matter? You look kinda off your game today, like something's… troubling you."

"Huh?" Blake jumped, her expression almost pasting the words 'guilty as charged' across her face. She did not think Sun was that observant. "O-oh, no. I'm fine. Thanks for asking, though. It's really sweet of you."

"Hey, Blake," Sun said, his eyes dead serious as he grabbed one of her hands with both of his.

"S-Sun?" Blake exclaimed.

"If there's anything wrong, you know you can just come to me, right?" he asked. "I'll always be there for you."

Blake lost her voice for a bit, opening and closing her mouth without a word. Sun held his position and maintained his gaze, waiting for her response.

"Thank you, Sun," she said at last, giving him a gentle smile and a light peck on the cheek. "That makes me feel a lot better."

Leaving the monkey Faunus speechless and hot in the face, Blake got up and left, her cheeks slightly pink.

"Congratulations."

Screaming like a little girl, Sun leapt out of the bench and stared at the bushes just behind it, where a handsome face with blue hair wearing a very smug grin had emerged from.

"Neptune?!" He remarked. "D-did you eavesdrop on all that?!"

"Eavesdrop? Please," Neptune replied, holding up a metallic device. "I was just filming the video I wanted to submit to the school newsletter."

Pocketing the video camera with a smile that seemed to shine, Neptune took off. Making some very nasty threats as well as desperate pleas, Sun gave chase.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Blake," Pyrrha called out. "Heading to the supplementary class now?"<p>

"Yeah," Blake replied, walking with her. "You too?"

"Well, I was never one for being late," Pyrrha said. "Guess that makes two of us, huh?"

Before Blake could reply, a blue-haired blur zipped past them at incredible speed. Following closely behind it was a blond streak, yelling something like "COMEONITISN'TFUNNY".

"Was that Neptune and Sun?" Pyrrha asked after a brief moment of stunned silence.

"… Yes. Yes it was," Blake replied with equal parts embarrassment and surprise.

"WOOHOO~!"

As if the ruckus quota had not yet been reached, a weapons locker tore across the skies towards the direction of the Emerald Forest. Goodwitch had told them that the lockers could be set to go to any location, but she never said anything about it being a mode of transport.

"Was that Nora?" Blake asked, concern in her voice as she narrowed her eyes. "And Ren holding on to her waist?"

"… Yes. Yes it was." It was now Pyrrha's turned to be exasperated and embarrassed.

Blake smiled. It felt like forever since all that occupied her mind was the quirky antics of her friends.

"Nora sure has a lot of energy, doesn't she?" Blake asked. "I think the only one who can match her is Yang."

"She's a free bird," Pyrrha replied. "But she can be very… tactful when she wants to be."

As she thought about the times Nora had helped her and supported her over her feelings for Jaune, Pyrrha could not help but smile. Nora – being the straightforward, goofy girl that she was – was also a good friend as well as a reliable teammate. For Pyrrha, who had led the life of an elite, having someone who treated her like a friend, an equal, was priceless.

"I see," Blake said, looking at the smile that blossomed on Pyrrha's face. "How's it going with Jaune? I noticed you two have been frequenting the roof of the dorms at night."

"H-how did you know that?" Pyrrha asked, her face turning pink.

Blake was about to reply, but her answer made her remember that night. The night she saw those tortured, haunted red eyes.

"I-I overheard Jaune talking about it," she said hastily, causing Pyrrha to bury her face in her hands. "Are you two getting along?"

"W-we're getting along," Pyrrha replied, shaking the redness out of her cheeks. "I-it's just that Jaune… he still doesn't see the qualities he has, that's all."

"What's wrong?"

"He… doesn't think he's that capable," Pyrrha replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. "He has so much potential, and he's a competent leader; he can give us the commands that no one else could, and it's because of them that we can emerge victorious.

"I may be strong, but I can't lead," Pyrrha continued, the grief now more obvious. "I can only win my own battles. The last time I led a team, everyone else became eliminated and I alone passed the test by defeating the opposing team by myself. Truly a Pyrrhic victory, befitting my name, right?"

Pyrrha stopped walking, her eyes fixated on the ground where countless ants scurried about. They moved with such fervor, each doing the same ordinary things as the others. No one stood out, and no one was 'special'; they lived in a world where one of their peers could not be so exceptional they become alienated by the rest. Because no matter how much they repeated the same action, they remained ordinary.

She could remember the cheers from the crowd as she returned victorious. She could remember thinking that if they won, it was fine. When she saw the faces of her teammates, when she listened to their outrage, she did not know what to feel.

She believed that she simply had not been strong enough. Her lack of strength had let her teammates down. And so, she trained. She trained until no one could come close to matching her in combat. The top spot on the podium pretty much had her name permanently stamped on it, and no one else ever stood there. She was at a level where the second place was a mere formality to award whoever was the 'next best'. It was technically true, but in reality their abilities could not be further apart.

The Goddess of Victory. The one Fate smiled upon. The undefeated legend. She could remember those titles that were branded on her name like an ugly mark that would never disappear. When she looked back at her former teammates, they already could not even talk to her anymore. She had become something so far above in her superiority that her identity had fallen so low, to that of a force or an image. It was like she never lived.

Then she met him. The man who did not know her, and did not look at her with contempt, envy or reverence. He was a man who was ordinary, but saw her as a girl. He saw her as a fellow human, a person capable of great feats but a person nonetheless. She believed that if it was him, he could still look her in the eyes no matter how high she stood on the podium. She believed that he could even someday stand on the spot that had been reserved for her all this time, and make her see the world from a different angle.

But even he slowly fell to the curse of mediocrity.

"Jaune is leagues ahead of me at being a competent leader," Pyrrha said, almost lamenting that fact. "But he just can't see it. He thinks he's inferior and that… Sometimes he thinks he doesn't 'deserve' to be with me."

Blake said nothing, letting the red-haired warrior sort out her thoughts.

In the shadows of a nearby pillar, Sapphire grabbed on to Jaune's shoulder, shaking his head silently. Relenting, Jaune sank back into hiding, listening in on the conversation that had become more of a soliloquy.

"He's constantly getting stronger for that purpose, but…" Pyrrha bit back a sob. "I sometimes feel that if he keeps going, he's going to leave me so far behind I won't be able to catch up. If I stop him, he'll end up resenting the fact that he's weaker than me, but if he goes too far ahead I'll be left behind. No matter what happens, I'll go back to being alone. I don't want to be alone again, Blake. I don't want to walk by myself anymore."

Her voice weak and spirit wavering, the unmatched Huntress in training clenched her fists as the corners of her eyes gleamed and burned.

"I knew," Jaune admitted, whispering to Sapphire. "I knew that she was feeling that way for a long time. But I- I just didn't know what to do. I wanted to assure her and be there for her, but I didn't have the strength to back up those words."

Sapphire considered walking away. He was not one to get involved in such situations and waste his time talking some kids through the issues of romance. Even though he kept telling himself that, Lifesaver refused to let him walk away and his mouth just would not shut up.

"Then let her know," he said bluntly. "If you really think that way, tell her. You don't need to be strong enough physically to match those words; that thinking's just conceited. You need to see what she wants. She is willing to let you continue becoming stronger despite her inner conflicts because she knows it's what you want. Now it's time for you to do the same for her. Besides, she didn't fall in love with you because you had the potential to become stronger than her, right?

"Mediocrity is a virtue in its own right, Arc," he finished. "Go show her the mediocre idiot she fell in love with."

"Y-yeah," Jaune agreed, nodding. "I'll set things right as I am right now."

Sapphire smiled in spite of himself. He could tell that Jaune had been planning on doing that all along; he just needed that one push to get him going.

"Well, do it after she's calmed down a bit," he advised. "In the meantime, we have class to attend."

* * *

><p>"This looks familiar," Yang commented, standing on a metallic square embedded into the ground.<p>

Team JNPR and Team RWBY (Plus Sapphire) stood on a hill overlooking the Emerald Forest, where they had taken part in the initiation test together. Back then, they had formed pairs and retrieved relics that decided their teams. Why they were here again now, in the same position, was anyone's guess.

"I trust you all remember this place," Ozpin began, addressing the group.

"Nope," Sapphire said, one hand on his hip.

"This was the place you took your first trial at Beacon," Ozpin went on, ignoring him. "You must be wondering why you're all gathered here again."

He took a sip from his mug. Sapphire shook his head and pretended to throw up.

"This is a test to see how much you've all grown," Ozpin announced. "You will now all undergo the exact same test. There are no additional rules, except for one: due to the odd number of participants, one of you will end up alone. The one who does is free to join any pair and fight as a three-member team. Any questions?"

"Yes," Sapphire replied.

"Good luck to you all," Ozpin said.

"I don't know the actual rules," Sapphire pointed out, as Nora flew off with a wide smile on her face.

"First person you make eye contact with becomes your _partner_," Ozpin replied calmly, leaning on the last word as Ren was launched into the air. "Retrieve a relic and head to the designated location. That is all."

"Fair enough," Sapphire shrugged, before being violently and suddenly sent into the air.

* * *

><p>Flying through the air did not feel as gratifying as he had hoped. Biting back the curses as the wind stung and pierced his skin, Sapphire fired two arrows at a nearby tree. The ropes attached to them went taut as he held on to them, swinging up and landing in another tree.<p>

Instead of jumping down, he stayed on the branch looking at the others fall. Jaune was the closest, his body unnaturally stiff. Sapphire considered helping him out, but as he continued to watch, Jaune unsheathed his sword and brought out his shield.

Using the shield to protect him from the incoming branches, Jaune crashed through them while lifting his sword and using it to stab the trunk of a large tree, using the shield to defend from majority of the impact. Even so, that was a lot of force to absorb. Taking a few seconds to recover, Jaune kicked against the tree and jumped down, pulling his weapon with him.

_And they call him incompetent_, Sapphire mused in his head.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha's voice rang through the foliage, making Sapphire hastily hide.

"Oh, Pyrrha," Jaune said, sounding both surprised and delighted. "You sure got here fast. Guess we're a pair again, huh?"

"Y-yeah," Pyrrha replied shyly. "Say, Jaune, that landing…"

"Oh, that?" Jaune fumbled for the right words due to embarrassment. "Yeah… I've been training a bit so I wouldn't end up useless to the team, and I guess the 'landing after being flung by an enemy' part worked out fine at least."

"I-I see," Pyrrha replied, her expression a little downcast. "That's great, Jaune."

An awkward silence descended upon them, with neither of them looking at the other. Sapphire could feel the atmosphere even all the way up in his tree.

_Now's your chance, Arc_, he thought.

"Pyrrha," Jaune began. "We need to talk."

Reluctantly, Pyrrha looked up, and into the eyes of the man she loved. She could not contain her surprise when she saw the firm determination in them. That gaze alone held more strength than she could ever muster.

"Pyrrha… I know what you're thinking," he said. "I may be dense, but I'm not THAT dense. I just wanted to say that I wanted to be strong for… for you. I didn't want people to look down on you because I was weak. I wanted you to be proud of me."

Pyrrha listened, her expression not changing. She definitely expected such a response already, but hearing it from Jaune made her stay silent in order to hear more. Because regardless of the words being similar or not, the words that came out of Jaune's mouth were worlds apart from those in her head.

"I will always depend on you, Pyrrha," Jaune went on. "I-I know that makes me sound kinda pathetic, but it's true. I won't ever leave you behind, so don't worry. I'm rushing to catch up with you, and I don't want either of us to leave each other behind; I just want us to move forward together. I'm gonna rely on you, so I want you to be able to rely on me too. I-if that's alright with you, of course."

Pyrrha stared at her boyfriend, with a very peculiar expression on her face. For a moment, Sapphire thought she was smiling, but the next moment he thought she looked confused.

"Okay, that sounded a lot cooler in my head," Jaune admitted, hanging his head in shame. "Can I, like, have a do-over or-"

He did not get to finish that sentence, with Pyrrha's lips pressed against his and her arms around his neck. Before he fully registered the kiss, Pyrrha had already pulled away, face slowly becoming red like her hair.

"I don't mind waiting," she said, fidgeting a little. "But you better hurry up, because I'm not going to stop."

"H-hey! That's not fair!" Jaune complained.

"I was under the impression that it was your idea," Pyrrha teased.

"N-no, I meant the- the kiss," Jaune clarified. Sapphire groaned and did a facepalm while seated on his branch. "That was totally unfair; I was supposed to start it! Y-your sneak attack was cheating!"

"What the heck are you saying, you dumbass?!" Sapphire cursed under his breath. The atmosphere had been pretty good, but now it was lying around in pieces all over the place.

"Well then…" Pyrrha said, as though thinking of something. "Maybe you should be a true gentleman and lead me this time."

"Um… Um…" Jaune stuttered, completely at a loss.

"Just shut up and kiss me," Pyrrha whispered, a faint but powerful smile on her face.

Looking straight into the eyes of the amazing girl who had become a part of his life, Jaune placed his hands gently on Pyrrha's waist, pulling her closer. Closing their eyes at the same time, they let their lips meet to continue the connection their gaze had now lost.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Sapphire left them to it.


	10. 10 - Partners and Promises

**Double digit chapter! Thank you for following the story up till this point!**

* * *

><p>"It feels like Christmas, doesn't it?"<p>

Too preoccupied to reply, Sapphire busied himself with checking the shelves filled with different weapons.

"I already have Daybreak and Duskfall," he said, picking up what appeared to be a rapier with a revolver-like attachment on it.

"Then stop browsing," his partner replied. "Lemme have the goodies."

"Hey, I'm not getting the MACB until next week," Sapphire defended. "Right now, I'm violating protocol with only a pair of custom weapons."

"Says the idiot who customized them just to fit the requirement of having both melee and ranged weapons in the first place," his partner jabbed, picking up a machine gun fitted with a barrel for grenades and several bayonets that seemed to be added on for purpose of being fired. "What the heck is this, by the way? Someone please explain what I'm looking at."

"Well, this IS the Schnee Corporation we're talking about," Sapphire said, pocketing something. "Most of their stuff is… um… unique. That said, I didn't know they were working on this many weapons. Even if they were collaborating with the military, this is clearly too ridiculous."

"For all this stuff, the security sure was lax," Sapphire's partner – a man called Luke Johnson – wondered aloud. "Digging that huge transport tunnel underneath it was easier than I thought it'd be."

"It's good camouflage," Sapphire said, dropping a bunch of weapons into the large hole they had cut up in the floor. "It'd be more suspicious if some random factory on the outskirts of town had high tech drones and trained personnel patrolling about."

"What're you fiddling around with over there?" Luke asked, seeing Sapphire swinging around the rapier he had picked up earlier. Its blade, for some reason, was now glowing with a light blue color.

"I don't know, but I can't seem to turn it off," Sapphire grumbled. "I'm afraid to toss it down because I'm afraid it'll blow up or something."

"That's why you shouldn't give in to your inner weapons nut and try it out," Luke sighed, picking up a pair of metallic long boots that had no opening for its wearer to put their feet into. "Is this an android's feet or something? What're they just randomly dumping here?"

"Hey, look," Sapphire said, fooling around as he swung the rapier around, its light blue glow following the path the blade made. "I'm a graceful swan. Or something."

"Yeah, that's _really_ graceful," Luke commented sarcastically. "Throw in your singing and you've got your own performance. I'm sure Schnee would pay."

"Yeah, she'd pay to see my head on a pole," Sapphire replied. "And my singing's a secret, you-"

The next moment, the armory door opened, revealing several androids.

"Oh, fu-" Luke began.

"Grab whatever weapons are left," Sapphire shouted, running towards the squad of androids, standing in between them and Luke. "Fling what you can down, and take a few. We're gonna buy the transporters time- Whoa whoa whoa!"

As the tip of the rapier touched the ground, a colossal wave of ice burst from it and charged at the androids, freezing the front few while knocking the others back.

"What the heck did I just do?!" Sapphire screamed.

"What the heck did you just do?!" Luke asked, completely at a loss as well.

"I don't know!" Sapphire answered hastily. "But it felt really girly!"

As he said that, the rapier in his hands broke apart, falling onto the ground in dull silver pieces.

"Must be a prototype," Sapphire muttered. "Whatever; I don't want to handle that thing anyway."

"Guess that's all you can expect from a Schnee product," Luke said lightly, carrying a large bunch of weapons on his body. "Don't expect too much of it."

"And why are you carrying so many of their junk?" Sapphire asked, activating Daybreak and Duskfall.

"Hey, beggars can't be choosers," Luke replied, shrugging as he tossed what looked like a bazooka to Sapphire. "At least I didn't pick some weird stick that shoots ice."

"Did you not see how graceful I was with that thing?" Sapphire asked, aiming the bazooka at the chunk of ice that blocked the wall, where some of the androids were attempting to break through. "My swan-ness is legit."

"You need to get off the internet," a female voice rang out. "And also stop stealing other people's belongings."

"Ah, Schnee," Sapphire said. "Still can't quit the habit of spying on guys, huh?"

"I prefer 'Winter', but in your case I'll make an exception to how I like to be called," the girl's voice replied. "And I would rather go blind before I have to look at your revolting face."

"You just say that because you hate my surname," Sapphire retorted with a smile. "Y'know, we could get that woman – Rose, I think she was called – and we'd be almost a full set of seasons. Summer, Winter, Fall, see?"

"You really are chatty," Winter replied. "Well, it's okay; you won't be talking for much longer anyway."

"Gee, thanks," Sapphire replied, pulling the trigger on the bazooka, releasing several different colored beams. "Whoa! Taste the rain-"

"Shut up and fight," Luke snapped, charging towards the exit as it burst into flame and debris.

* * *

><p>Hiding in a corner while the androids closed in, Sapphire checked his surroundings as Luke, now out of new toys, loaded a fresh magazine into his pistol.<p>

"Where did they come from?" he complained. "We didn't hear about this when we scouted the place!"

"Hey, Saph," Luke spoke up. "We got two paths ahead. You opting for left or right?"

"Right," Sapphire replied without thinking, fumbling around with the contents of his ammunition pouches. "I've got three incendiary arrows, two grenades, seven Taser rounds and two grappling-"

"It's fine," Luke said. "We're gonna run for it. Go."

Nodding, Sapphire broke into a sprint, heading for the exit that was definitely still a long way off. The moment he took a few steps, he knew something was wrong.

A huge wall of Dust had been erected from where he had run from, covering the corridor from floor to ceiling. It separated his pursuers from him, but also trapped Luke on the other side with the horde of Schnee androids.

"Run, Saph," Luke's voice came from his earbud. "I'll distract them to give you enough time."

"But-"

"Go!" Luke roared. "You're not as experienced as I am; you can't do much in this situation! Go! That's an order!"

Hesitating for a split second, Sapphire turned his back on his partner and ran.

* * *

><p>"I'm out, Luke," Sapphire spoke into the microphone, looking at the factory from the refuge of the forest. "Where are you?"<p>

"Some… chamber," Luke's heavy panting amidst the static made his words a little unclear. "They're on the other side of the door, but I reinforced it with some Dust. It'll take them a few minutes."

"Can you find a way out?" Sapphire asked, his voice unnaturally high due to panic.

"Doesn't look like it," Luke replied. "This place seems to be a weapons test-fire chamber; there're lots of charred spots on the walls. That'll explain the presence of the soldiers and lab coats here. Hngh! No, it's no good. This thing's solid."

"Hold on," Sapphire said, almost begging. "I'll call for reinforcements-"

"Too risky," Luke cut across him. "Get away from this place now. Schnee's definitely going to bring in backup to this place soon. Remember how she stalled by talking to you through the PA system? Apparently it was so that she could send the signal to activate all the drones in this place; I found hidden hatches here and there. Since they were inactive, our scans didn't pick up anything. I hate to admit it, but Schnee pulled a fast one on us this time. If the backup from outside arrives, our entire team will get wiped out. But I'm not a fan of being captured and tortured, so I'm blowing this place up."

"No!" Sapphire pleaded. They had set enough charges to blow the entire factory to pieces. Not a single inch of the place would survive, not even a test-fire chamber.

"Hey, listen," Luke said. "I'm gonna make it quick, okay? I'm not like Ozzy after all. You're a chatty guy, and I think that's fine. You've got a long way to go as a merc, but you'll manage; your skills and potential are true. You've got a good heart – something which most of us discarded when we settled into the trade. I'm glad I got partnered with you. Did I miss out anything?"

"Luke, come on," Sapphire whispered, his voice trembling. "Don't do this to me. We'll find a way out."

"It's okay, Saph," Luke replied. "We all prepare ourselves for this moment, right? But before I go, promise me one thing, Saph:

"Get along with your next partner, ya hear?"

There was nothing but static following those words, but as Sapphire stared at the raging fireball that swallowed the factory, the world had already become silent.

* * *

><p>He made him a promise. He never did agree, but towards the final words of the man that had been his partner, Sapphire Fall swore.<p>

He swore that he would become strong enough to support his next partner. And that no matter what, he would never let another partner, friend, or teammate die again.

* * *

><p>"… and that concludes the report on the mission."<p>

"I see," the man grumbled, staring at the screen where the details of the mission still lingered. "We've lost a man, right? Is his partner still active?"

"Yes," the woman giving the presentation replied.

"Good," he said, even though his tone did nothing to support that word. "Send him to Dynes' team and pair him up with Black; Dynes isn't going to be much of a use in the state he's in anyway. Have Morris and Anderson train him."

"Understood."

From that day onwards, Sapphire Fall and Mercury Black became partners.

* * *

><p>Walking through the Emerald Forest warily, Sapphire sighed.<p>

He had gotten involved in Arc's love-life, what with offering advice and all that. He was a mercenary – a fact that he often reminded himself several times – and mercenaries had no use for emotions. He should not have wasted his time getting involved, but he ended up helping anyway.

They were not even remotely related to him, and he was under no obligations to help them. What was he thinking, helping them with their relationships? If they had broken up, then they would have been better off in the long run after one of them dies in combat.

_I'm off my game,_ he thought. _I should go to a hospital._

Grumbling as he continued walking without a clear destination in mind, Sapphire saw a familiar figure accompanied by a thicket of bright yellow hair.

"Blondie?" he wondered aloud.

Yang turned, saw him, and turned away again. She still had her shades on.

"Oh my!" she said in an extremely forced voice of surprise. "I hear someone, but I cannot see him! My oh my, it must be because of these shades! With them on, I can't make eye contact with anyone! Oh dear, I can't form a pair like this!"

With that, she ran off. Staring at the direction she disappeared into, Sapphire stood there speechless for a few moments.

"Well, whatever," he muttered, getting down on one knee and pressing something through his pants. Lifesaver gave off a faint 'beep' sound in response. "This works in my favor anyway."

"Fall?"

Turning around and making eye contact with Blake Belladonna, Sapphire sighed. So that was what she wanted.

"I thought I sensed Yang," she said. "I didn't expect to find you here."

"Blondie's somewhere over there," Sapphire replied, pointing at the direction Yang ran off in. "Dunno what's up with her, though. If you hurry you might be able to catch up with her."

"Wait!" Blake called out, as Sapphire began to walk off. "We made eye-contact, so we have to move as a pair now."

"You can just cheat-" Sapphire began, but a faint glint caught his eye. Cameras. Of course. "Fine. Stay close but don't get in my way."

Nodding, albeit reluctantly, Blake followed him.

* * *

><p>Ozpin watched the screen in Glynda's hands as it displayed the various students currently in action (she had swiftly turned off the camera where Pyrrha and Jaune were at, though). Needless to say, Glynda was not pleased, and he could feel her fuming even over the steam from his mug.<p>

"This is your idea of helping him live longer?" Glynda finally asked. "You're putting him in another battle situation and it's supposed to magically cure him?"

"It's a necessary first step," Ozpin replied calmly. "And I believe that he is ready to take that first step."

"And if you're wrong?" Glynda challenged.

_She's not the Monochrome I have to kill. Not yet._

_Not yet, _Ozpin thought to himself.

"There are things that must be done when the preparations aren't complete, Glynda," he answered.

* * *

><p>Hiding in a bush, Sapphire observed another pair – Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee – battle a horde of Beowolves with ease. He had wanted to jump out and eliminate all the Grimms at once, but Blake had stopped him, saying that they could handle it. Sapphire had been reluctant, but Blake remained adamant, resulting in their current state of hiding.<p>

As he watched, Sapphire had to admit that they were good. He had thought Schnee was just a pampered rich girl, but in the way she fought, he understood that she was more than that; those moves were not something anyone could pull off by simply swinging their weapon around. Her choice of equipment could have been better though; that skirt lifted up way too often during combat, and that weapon was a wild horse (granted, she did manage to use it with ease).

But what caught his attention was the way Ruby Rose fought. He had seen moves very similar to the ones she displayed, some time ago. Back then, it was by a man named Qrow, who had shared with Sapphire the reason he fought. Sapphire made a mental note to ask the same question to Rose should the opportunity arise.

"See?" Blake whispered as Ruby cleanly sliced off the head of the last Beowolf. "They can handle themselves just fine."

"I totally could have handled that last one on my own," Weiss scoffed, folding her arms.

"I know you did," Ruby replied, giggling. "Come on, let's go."

Sapphire clenched his teeth. Those words were eerily familiar to him.

"_I had him right where I wanted him," _he had once said to Mercury.

"_Sure you did,"_ he had replied, with that smug grin on his face. How did his partner hide that hostility behind such a genuinely friendly smile the entire time?

"Fall?" Blake's voice cut into his thoughts.

"It's nothing," Sapphire replied hastily, noticing that Weiss and Ruby had already left. "We have to go, too."

Blake agreed wordlessly, but as she stepped out of the bushes, her bow twitched.

"Wait," she said. "Something's coming."

Sapphire's eyes widened for a split second, before he bent down and pressed something on Lifesaver through his pants again. It was a stupid mistake, and he cursed himself for not realizing it sooner.

As though waiting for them to emerge, a large shadow pounced out of the foliage. An Ursa. A single arrow through the face was enough to bring it down, but Sapphire's concern lay elsewhere. Activating his Semblance, he felt his bodily abilities rise and his senses sharpen, while his eyes surely turned a light shade of red.

"Stay close to me," he said, as Daybreak automatically loaded another arrow; as long as he did not wish to change the type of arrow and he had spares loaded in, Daybreak and Duskfall could handle reloading by themselves.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked, picking up his uneasiness. She had Gambol Shroud out and ready, but the shriek overhead told her that it would hardly be of any use in this situation. Worst of all, she recognized that shriek.

A Nevermore. That vile creature had been the major obstacle during Team RWBY's initiation here at the Emerald Forest. To make matters worse, this time Blake was only with Sapphire instead of her own team.

As though trying to prove to her that matters could be even worse, the trees to her side gave way, revealing another familiar figure: a black exoskeleton with white bone plates, finished off with a glowing, deadly stinger: a Death Stalker had joined the fray.

Along with the two large Grimms, several Ursi gathered, surrounding Blake and Sapphire. Their numbers were not frighteningly huge, but they were sufficient to pose a credible threat.

"Fall," Blake said, her back pressed against his, "Do you have anything that'll take them all out or at least distract them long enough?"

"I have smoke bombs," Sapphire replied. "But we're surrounded. Even if we fight through some of them, the Nevermore's got aerial advantage. And- oh crap, there's that."

Slithering across the lush forest grass and baring their fangs at their prey, King Taijitu entered the scene. The serpentine Grimms hissed, its black and white halves separating to go for both of the foolish creatures who had gotten themselves surrounded.

"This was a miscalculation," Sapphire muttered savagely under his breath. "Smoke isn't going to fool snakes; they'll find us instantly. Listen, Belladonna. I'm gonna create an opening, and you run the moment-"

"I'm fighting," Blake retorted. "I can handle myself. Don't waste your time," she added, as he opened his mouth. "I know what I'm doing; I've battled Grimm and worse before."

Before Sapphire could say anything else, the countless monsters attacked.

* * *

><p>"How is this possible?" Glynda asked, staring at the screen in wide-eyed disbelief.<p>

For some reason, even when they had spotted other pairs, the Grimm chose to ignore them and instead gathered at where Blake and Sapphire were. It was as though they were specifically looking for them and them alone. As a result, every other pair reached the relics and the rendezvous point without any trouble (save Ruby and Weiss who decided to slaughter some Beowolves along the way). But that also meant that no one would be able to go to their aid.

"We have to intervene," she said worriedly. "They're not ready to face that many Grimms at once, especially with those three added in."

"He can," Ozpin replied, his expression unreadable. "That's why it's bad. Come on, Glynda. We have to stop him before he takes them on by himself."

"What-"

"_Now,_" Ozpin said, his voice dead serious.

* * *

><p>Launching several Dust Grenades into the monsters, Sapphire fired two arrows before they detonated, blowing back a few Ursi. Gunshots followed shortly, although they barely did any damage to the King Taijitu.<p>

Blake was having problems on her side as well. Her attacks barely had an effect on the Death Stalker, and constantly dodging the monstrosity's stinger and pincers proved to be difficult when she had to deal with the pack of Ursi at the same time.

Occasionally, the Nevermore dived, each time narrowly missing Blake. Sometimes, when it caught her off-guard by firing off its feathers, Sapphire had to dive in and save her. Keeping his attention on Blake while fighting off enemies proved to be a difficult task, even with his Semblance active.

The fatigue was slowly starting to take its toll. Like Ozpin pointed out, the more he fought, the more Sapphire hurt himself. While it made him stronger, it was only worsening his condition. Right now, even though he could crush an Ursa's head with his hands if he wanted to, Sapphire was by no means confident in his chances of victory.

If a way out existed, it would be Lifesaver's Combat Mode.

Genocide Mode was definitely overkill. He did not want to or need to waste his life on something like mere Grimm. Combat Mode would probably allow him to take on most if not all of the monsters in front of him right now, and it only took two simple words to activate it. But with Blake around, Sapphire was not sure if he could avoid hurting her in the process if he really did use it.

Blake leapt into the air, jumping onto the shoulder of the clone she created with her Semblance. Dual-wielding her Gambol Shroud's blade and sheath, she attempted to slash through her enemies on whom her bullets had no effect. In two clean hits, she beheaded an Ursa, using whatever was left of its body and another clone to dash through the air like a cannonball.

As she flew towards the Death Stalker, her sights set on its stinger, Blake was suddenly swept off into the air by a violent force. Struggling to maintain her balance as the Nevermore flew away, while still being thrown towards the side by the gale of wind, Blake barely managed to avoid slamming into a tree.

In one backflip, Blake climbed onto a branch and leapt off, raising her weapons to behead another incoming Ursa. But this time, she froze.

_I live for the sole purpose of killing you._

She remembered those eyes. Those terrifying yet sorrowful red eyes, forcing back the darkness with its malice alone. She remembered his silhouette – a single shadow shrouded in darkness save his monster-like eyes – as his hair trembled in the wind like the mane of a monster.

As she looked at the Grimm she was about to kill, Blake froze. The sight of the monster reminded her of him. Of Sapphire, the man who lived to kill her. Of Sapphire, the man who lived to fight, and lived for revenge.

Of Sapphire Fall, the man whose friends' deaths were her fault.

Weiss had assured her that she was in the right. She had the full support of her team. She had already washed her hands of the life she led as a member of the White Fang. So why was she so affected by those words?

Why is it that when she looked into the face of a monster, she saw that human's expression staring back at her?

That moment's hesitation cost her dearly. The last thing Blake saw before she realized that folly was the blur of an Ursa's swinging arm.

"Belladonna!" Sapphire roared, dashing to her side and between her and the monsters. There were still too many left. "Belladonna! Get up!"

It was a heavy blow, but she was not out cold. However, even after she sat up, Blake did not pick up her weapons.

"What're you doing?!" Sapphire bellowed, firing an arrow at an approaching Beowolf. "Move it and pick up your weapons! We don't have time!"

But Blake could not hear him. Her eyes, wide with shock and fear, stared into the ground where nothing but grass was. Despite that, they bore into something distant that only she could see.

"Bella-" Sapphire began, but he stopped when he looked at her and realized that his words fell on deaf ears. She was trembling. She had already hit her limit with how far she could hide her feelings, and now she possessed no combat capabilities whatsoever. On the battlefield, she had no more value than being bait for Sapphire to escape.

The enemies closed in. The Nevermore dived from the skies, while the small army of Grimms charged across the earth. They were monsters without souls, and they knew not of mercy. In between them and a girl who could not fight, was a single man who stood no chance.

"_Get along with your next partner, ya hear?"_

A vague, brief memory grazed his mind. A determined, earnest promise echoed in his soul. That promise had been made by him, and he had sworn to keep it. But it was not the promise that drove him to act. It was something that resided far deeper within his being, and it was what had compelled him to make the promise in the first place.

As Ozpin had called it, it was his 'heart'.

Facing the incoming wave of death and destruction, Sapphire spoke:

"Safety Off."


	11. 11 - Friends

**And here's Chapter 11. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Combat mode. The mode in which part of the user's Aura that was sealed away is released, allowing him to augment his Semblance and improve his abilities. In that form, a part of Lifesaver's functions are instead shifted towards combat-related functions, causing the stored Dust to be used at a much quicker pace. That also meant that Lifesaver's healing abilities were compromised, and with his Semblance stronger than before, Sapphire was also worsening his condition even faster, even further.<p>

It was a mode in which he gambled his life. It was the only mode that the commander had allowed, but only when he had to fight to protect someone. Someone like a partner, a teammate, or a friend.

But now, to defend the enemy he swore he would kill, Sapphire Fall activated Combat Mode.

* * *

><p>He felt the world slow down. Every sound became low and booming, echoing for an unnaturally long period of time. Every movement, no matter how minute, now felt like the air around it had been replaced with water.<p>

The monsters approached. Seemingly oblivious to how dull their movements had become, the creatures without souls continued their charge, hostility emanating from every pore of their hideous bodies.

Feeling Daybreak and Duskfall slowly folding up to assume their bladed forms, each individual gear and part taking what felt like ages to settle into place, Sapphire rushed towards the incoming horde.

Several small missiles fired from Lifesaver's sides, spreading out before converging at the white snake, which was the closest. The explosions that followed did no more than stun the wretched creature, but it allowed Sapphire to get within striking range. With a backflip kick, he sent the Serpent into the air and let it spiral miserably to the ground.

Not pausing in his assault, Sapphire charged at the nearest Ursa and grabbed its flailing arm in mid-swing. Swinging the Grimm around with ease, he beat back a few more of its kind before hurling it at the Death Stalker.

The giant scorpion Grimm pierced through the thrown Ursa with its stinger, flinging away the carcass before it thrust its giant pincer towards Sapphire's neck. Grabbing it with two hands, Sapphire forcibly pulled the pincer apart, splitting it down the middle. Before the monster could elicit a cry of pain, several Dust Grenades exploded beneath its body, where there was nothing to cover it.

A beowolf closed in from behind, but Sapphire did not care; Lifesaver in Combat Mode was more than a simple pair of boots. The guns affixed to the holsters on its sides rotated, pointing its barrels at the enemy. In the next instant, they fired. Sapphire had not moved an inch; by reading the electric signals his brain sent out, the intelligent fully-weaponized mobile armor prototype Lifesaver could more than handle normal Grimm on its own.

As the Beowolf collapsed in a hail of bullets, Sapphire jumped, projected by the boosters on the soles of his boots. Grabbing onto the back of the Nevermore's head as it missed him with its dive, he used his free hand to stab at the massive bird in rapid succession. When the bird lost its balance and crashed into a bunch of trees, he leapt off, grabbed its tail feathers, and flung it into the air.

Sprinting back to where Blake was at, Sapphire picked up her discarded blade and threw it at the Death Stalker, which was still twitching. Even though two Ursi were in the way, the weapon still flew right through their stomachs and buried itself into the scorpion Grimm's head.

Without warning, Sapphire did a roundhouse kick at nothing in particular, until the black half of the King Taijitu shot out of the shadows and into his attack. It flew in an odd angle, crashing into the base of a small hill where several rocks tumbled down on impact, burying it.

Checking the condition of his weapons, Sapphire readied himself for whatever was approaching from the rustling thicket before him. Lifesaver was running out of Dust, but his Semblance would make up for that. Even if another Death Stalker or-

Rushing into the clearing created by the battle was Ozpin, followed shortly by Glynda Goodwitch. Behind them were the other students, each one looking as confused as the other. Sapphire opened his mouth to say something, but he paused upon seeing the look on his former commander's face.

"Neutral," he ordered, and Lifesaver gave off a series of hums and clicks. Almost instantly, the odd sensation that was his Semblance faded, although it did not vanish entirely. "She's over there. Check-"

A wave of pain flooded his legs, and in less than a second the ground rushed up to meet his rapidly fading vision.

* * *

><p>The smell of lavender hung in the space, loftily filling his nostrils. As he slowly opened his eyes, Sapphire was greeted by a white ceiling with that appeared to be curtains at the side. As he registered the softness of the mattress below him, the moments before he passed out replayed in his mind in bits and pieces.<p>

"I really _did_ end up in a hospital," he wondered aloud.

"Not quite," a firm male voice said from somewhere to his right. "But close enough. This is Beacon's infirmary."

"It's not that heartening to wake up with a grown man by my bedside," Sapphire complained, his voice still a little groggy as he tried moving his arms around. "Where're my weapons?"

"You wish to be armed in an infirmary?" Ozpin enquired.

"You can never be too careful," Sapphire shrugged.

"Yes, that is correct," Ozpin agreed. "That is why reckless behavior should be avoided. Acts like using this would certainly fall into such a category."

Ozpin produced a small, circular object the size of a collar pin from his chest pocket, holding it up so that Sapphire could see, causing the younger man to groan.

"I found this curious device on Lifesaver," Ozpin explained. "It seems to be able to give off a special frequency that draws in Grimms."

"You touched my legs while I was asleep?" Sapphire asked, not making eye contact. "You have some fine tastes."

"As a result of your recklessness, you and Miss Belladonna were put in a lot of danger," Ozpin stated plainly. "No doubt you intended to take on all the monsters at once so that no one else would have to fight, but as you can clearly see now, that did not work out; Miss Belladonna was in quite a bit of shock."

"Was she hurt?" Sapphire asked, bolting upright as he suddenly remembered, before hissing in pain and collapsing back onto the bed.

"Not physically, no," Ozpin replied. "But I cannot say the same for her mental state. I expect it had something to do with what you said to her that night."

"I said the truth," Sapphire mumbled defiantly. "She'll be disappointed to hear I'm still alive."

"Is that what you really think?"

Sapphire looked away. He wanted to lie, but he was sure Ozpin would not be fooled that easily.

"Why did you go so far as to use Combat Mode?" Ozpin asked. "If you wanted to kill her, you could have just left her to the Grimm. You clearly knew the consequences of using it, so why?"

"You and your nefarious brainwashing," Sapphire answered. "Saying stuff like 'partners' and all that-"

"So you saved her because she was your partner?" Ozpin asked. "Even though you swore to kill her?"

"I swore to kill Monochrome," Sapphire snarled. "The woman I paired up with was too weak to be the Monochrome I knew."

"Her eyes," Ozpin offered, referring to what Sapphire had said to him that night. Wordlessly, Sapphire nodded. "They didn't look like a killer's eyes, yes? I would like to offer you an idea to ponder about while you rest: consider the possibility that Miss Belladonna never goes back to being Monochrome. What would you do then?"

"That's not-" Sapphire began.

"If it does happen, what would you do?" Ozpin repeated.

"I…" Sapphire stared at the ceiling, unable to speak. "She's still Monochrome. Nothing can change that."

"And yet you protected her because she was not the Monochrome you knew," Ozpin reminded. "As I have mentioned before, people change. You are no longer the weak child who could not hold back your Semblance. You are no longer the greenhorn of a mercenary who is wet behind the ears, unable to protect his team. In the same sense, is it so difficult to imagine that she can change for the better as well?"

Sapphire continued to remain silent, but the lack of talking only made it more difficult to not think about those words. To make matters worse, there was a part of him that wanted those words to be true. Was it because he did not want to kill her? But if so, why?

"Your selfishness made your teammates' worries increase instead of letting them share the burden with you," Ozpin said in a slightly louder voice, making Sapphire flinch. "And most importantly, you put two of my precious students in danger. That is something I absolutely cannot forgive. How you manage to make up for that mistake is up to you."

With those words, the headmaster of Beacon stood up and headed for the door.

"Oh yes, I forgot to mention," he said, stopping halfway. "I'm glad you chose to protect Miss Belladonna, even if it meant you had to use Combat Mode."

* * *

><p>"Blake?"<p>

Not turning to look at the owner of that voice, Blake let the wind flutter against her hair as she sat on the roof, looking at the sunset.

"What is it, Ruby?" she asked, still not looking at her.

"I-I thought you might be hungry," Ruby said meekly. "So I brought you a sandwich."

"Thanks," Blake replied flatly. "But I just don't have the appetite right now. Sorry."

"O-oh," Ruby said, slightly crestfallen. "That's okay! How about we talk, then?"

"Ruby, I-" Blake began, turning to look at her leader for the first time. She almost gasped. "Why are you crying?"

"I-I'm not!" Ruby replied hastily, rubbing her eyes. There were no tears to wipe away, but the marks left by previously shed trails down her cheeks could not be erased so simply. "I-I was cleaning the dorm and… um… dirt…"

"Ruby," Blake said, a hint of exasperation in her voice as her expression softened. "You know you're a bad liar."

Her shoulders drooping, the fearless, bold leader of Team RWBY sighed with a melancholic look of disappointment on her face.

"Come sit next to me," Blake offered, turning back to look at the sunset. She felt the young girl sit down on the edge of the rooftop to her right. For some reason, she had a soft spot for Ruby. "What's on your mind?"

"I wanted to ask you that," Ruby whined. "Your face when we found you in the forest was scary, Blake. We were all worried about you but no matter what we said, you just wouldn't respond."

"Oh," Blake said, somewhat lamely. "Sorry about that. I had… a lot of things on my mind."

"Can you tell me about it?" Ruby asked. "Maybe we could… talk this through?"

When Blake realized it, her mouth was already open. She slammed it shut immediately, biting back on the words that almost escaped her lips.

"I'm sorry," Ruby said suddenly, her mood downcast. "I shouldn't have tried to pry."

"It's alright," Blake replied, more gently than she thought she would be. "It's just… I don't know how to begin."

"Yeah, I think I understand," Ruby said. Blake looked at her in surprise. "When I saw Sapphire lying on the ground and blood was coming out from inside his boots, I was so scared. I never saw anyone die before, and I never want to. When I saw that a friend of mine was hurt and the thought of him dying crossed my mind, I was so frightened…"

Blake said nothing. Ruby had clearly misunderstood the reason for Blake's shock, but instead of correcting her, the Faunus continued to listen.

"My mother, Summer, went on a mission once and never came back," Ruby said. "I tried not to think about it, but when I got older I just kept fearing she might be… you know… gone for good. I didn't want to think about it, but even now I still get nightmares about it sometimes."

Blake understood then. The times Ruby tossed and turned endlessly at night had been because of that. Blake had always attributed it to Ruby's abnormally high levels of energy, but now she just felt stupid for not realizing.

"Ruby, I…" Blake paused. She had to say it. She needed to get it off her mind. "That's not it. When I was fighting, I froze when I remembered what Fall said to me about his teammates. They are all dead because of me. Even if I didn't kill them directly, I didn't stop my- my partner back then from killing them. I kept thinking about how it was all my fault, how I ruined his life, and I froze. I couldn't think straight and-"

Without warning, Ruby leaned in and hugged Blake, holding the Faunus close and squeezing her tightly.

"Ruby?!" Blake exclaimed in surprise.

"Hugs make everything better," Ruby replied childishly. "If you feel that way, then you should talk to Sapphire about it. I'm sure you two can find a way to solve the problem."

"I-I can't," Blake insisted. "He lost everything because of me. If I go to him now-"

"You mustn't think like that," Ruby said in a surprisingly firm voice. "You're always worrying about everything yourself; we know you want to put an end to things and you don't want to drag us into any danger, but we're friends, aren't we? We're Team RWBY. You can rely on us. No one should have to shoulder all the worries by themselves; we need friends to listen to us and talk us through them from time to time. That's what Sapphire's missing right now, right?"

Letting go of her friend, Ruby looked at Blake with earnest eyes. Her silver irises met her amber ones, reflecting her firm belief in what she said.

"I don't want you to worry by yourself, Blake," Ruby pleaded. "We all want to be there for you, and we want to be there _with _you. We'll always be by your side, so please, _please_, don't keep it all to yourself."

Blake said nothing for a few moments. She was feeling guilty, but now for another reason altogether. All her life, she had tried to do everything by herself. After leaving Adam behind and attending Beacon, she took it upon herself to change the way the White Fang did things. She thought of it as her own responsibility to defeat Roman Torchwick and worked herself to the bone for that purpose, until Yang taught her to slow down.

She had always felt alone, isolated, but in the end, she had been the cause of it all. She was the one placing walls around her heart, blind to the efforts of those trying to help her. Even though she thought she understood that, she had gone back to worrying by herself again after hearing Sapphire's words.

She worried alone, and that almost made her charge into a battle she could never win. She worried alone, and now it resulted in Sapphire risking his life to save her. In the end, all she ever accomplished by herself was to make her teammates – her friends – more worried about her.

"Er… Blake?" Ruby asked, before widening her eyes in surprise when the Faunus suddenly wrapped her arms around her.

"Hugs make everything better, right?" Blake asked, her voice slightly muffled. "Thanks, Ruby."

She might have been a childish girl two years younger than Blake was, but Ruby Rose was a competent leader. To Blake, who had insufficient experience in the field, she was also a dear friend.

No one should carry the burden alone. Her team had taught her that. Sapphire, who was alone, would never come to know that. This time, it was Blake's turn to stretch out her hand towards the lost child alone in their own suffering. It was her turn to be a teammate, and share the burden of her friends. Even if it meant crossing blades with him to make him see that.

_Thank you_, she repeated in her head.

* * *

><p><span><strong>I'll be honest: something felt kinda missing with this chapter. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but if you spot it, dear reader, do let me know.<strong>

**And as always, thanks for reading!**


	12. 12 - In order to move on

**Welcome to chapter 12! Before we begin, I'd like to address the review by the Guest on chapter 11 here since I can't reply to it via PM:**

**While avoiding spoilers, I will say that Yang will have her share of action and time in the spotlight, all in good time. This applies to Weiss and Ruby as well, as all members of Team RWBY will have their own arcs in this story. Right now we're at Blake's, so I'm giving her more focus here. Yang's turn will come, and I promise there'll be fights (of course), but whether or not it's between her and Saph… Well, do look forward to that.**

**Hope that answered your question, and without further ado, here's presenting Chapter 12!**

* * *

><p>"It's a miracle that you managed to survive."<p>

Hearing the words from a man who hardly ever showed any emotion did nothing for Sapphire. He was not particularly thankful to be alive, especially when every bone in his legs felt like they had been mercilessly and meticulously battered to bits by a sledgehammer.

"Unfortunately, you will no longer be able to fight," Ozpin said gravely. "You will have to retire for good, I'm afraid."

"Mercury betrayed us, didn't he." Sapphire mumbled, phrasing it as a statement instead of a question.

Ozpin fell silent.

"What about the others?" Sapphire asked, dread and despair flooding his eyes. Ever since he regained consciousness, his eyes had turned from their usual amber to blue – the color when his Semblance was active but at low levels. Ozpin wondered if he was constantly so close to death that even with the help of the leg armor he wore, he could no longer suppress it entirely. The thought of that worried him greatly.

"The backup teams arrived after the factory was blown up," Ozpin replied. "The White Fang and Schnee security forces had already withdrawn at that time. The target for retrieval is believed to have been destroyed in the explosion."

"What about the others?" Sapphire repeated.

"One member of the raid team was recovered besides you," Ozpin answered with great reluctance. "According to their reports, Monochrome was carrying him and left him in front of them before escaping the scene. We lost him during the surgery. You are the only one we were able to recover and resuscitate."

The nightmarish images returned. The dreaded memories, burning their everlasting horrors into his brain, flared at those simple words.

Only he had survived. Again.

The sound of distant burning rumbled. The shrieks of pain echoed in his ears, followed by the dull sound of muffled gunshots. A small hand reached out and into his field of vision, digging itself into a faceless soldier's stomach, gouging out a trail of fresh, scarlet liquid. That hand never stopped. He never stopped.

He had been nine back then. The day he murdered no less than thirty soldiers with his bare hands, Sapphire Fall had been a mere child. Now, even as a mercenary, he was the same. He was still so powerless. He still could not protect those around him.

And yet, inexplicably, he was once more the only one left alive.

"How am I still alive?" he asked.

"Your Semblance," Ozpin replied simply. "According to the reports, Adam Taurus's attack should have made your entire body disintegrate in that one hit as it has been seen to do. However, your unique Semblance activated and I expect went out of control in response of your rapidly crumbling body and proximity to death. It continuously and quickly strengthened your body, countering Taurus's technique, and forced the damage to stop at your legs, unable to spread. Thanks to that, you were able to make use of the boosted mental capacity by your Semblance to fix the leg armor swiftly to maximize its regenerative abilities."

Sapphire did not bother to look, but he could somewhat feel the cool metal against his legs. His now disintegrating legs.

"The end result is that your Aura is largely sealed in Lifesaver," Ozpin went on. "I've made a few modifications, so you should be able to release it for battle should you wish to; your Semblance drains your Aura considerably after all. While Lifesaver is in this 'neutral mode' and your Aura is contained, it'll keep the disintegration – or 'wilting' as the higher ups call it – from spreading to your body for a fair amount of time. But it can't keep it at bay forever."

"So it slowed my death from an instantaneous thing to a drawn out suffering," Sapphire muttered. "Hmph. 'Lifesaver' indeed. Your naming sense never fails to amaze me."

"There is still hope," Ozpin urged. "There is a surgery you can undergo. Before the wilting spreads to the rest of your body, you can remove it from your body."

"Amputation," Sapphire guessed.

"That is one of the possible outcomes," Ozpin admitted. "The other possibility is that you can keep your legs, but you will never be able to walk again. Even if you do manage to walk, fighting is out of the question. However, you have to agree to this and suppress your Semblance during the operation, or it may fail."

"You modified this to allow me to fight," Sapphire pointed out. "You extended my lifespan. Regular prosthesis won't be able to let me fight at all, and even if I go for the operation I'll still have to withdraw from the battlefield. You gave me a chance to remain as a fighter because you knew I wouldn't give up so easily. So why are you even telling me that?"

Ozpin had expected those words. He knew that Sapphire would have modified Lifesaver into a war machine anyway. At least this way, it was safer for him.

"I can't afford to stop yet," Sapphire said, his tone firm and filled with regret. "I'll hunt them all down."

Ozpin said nothing. He had no words that could convince him otherwise, and no words of comfort, especially after witnessing the bright blaze in those sapphire blue irises.

* * *

><p>Sapphire woke up from the less-than-subtle sound of the door opening. The infirmary was empty of patients save for him, so chances were high that the person was looking for him.<p>

"He-llo!" Yang greeted in a sing-song voice, waving her hand like she was greeting someone from far away. The way she dragged out the last syllable made Sapphire want to both groan and laugh at the same time.

"What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Visiting!" Yang declared. "You're the first person I know to ever end up here, so I thought I'd use that as an excuse to look around!"

"Such honesty," Sapphire sighed, but he was smiling slightly.

"So how're you feeling?" Yang asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down by his bed.

"Have you talked to Belladonna?" Sapphire fired back.

The mood instantly went cold. Yang's smile dropped a few degrees as she looked away, focusing on her lap.

"No," she admitted. "Ruby's talking to her. I figured I'd give 'em some time alone, y'know? Weiss had a call from her family to pick up and she seemed busy, so I came here instead."

"I see," Sapphire replied. Yang waited for him to continue, but he did not say a word.

"Ruby was terrified," Yang said at last, breaking the silence. "It was her first time seeing someone hurt so bad, and the fact that it was a teammate made it a lot worse, you know?"

He did. He had far too much experience in that area. Holding his tongue, Sapphire bit back on saying that he was not a part of Team RWBY; it would accomplish nothing besides starting another debate with the stubborn blonde.

"I was scared as well," Yang confessed. "We all thought you really were going to die. It didn't help matters with Blake making that traumatized expression; it was my first time seeing her so weak and vulnerable. And believe me, I've seen her weak and vulnerable before. But not like this. Nothing like this."

"If someday," Sapphire said after a long pause. "Someone close to you was taken away, what would you do if you saw the culprit right before your eyes?"

"If it was before I entered Beacon, I would have lost it no matter who it was," Yang replied after a pause. "But now, if that person is a dear friend of mine, I would want to be there for them. After I entered Beacon, I came to know of people who're burdened with so much more worries than I was. If a friend of mine ever hurt another friend, then I would want to know why; if they had to do such a thing and hurt their friends, hurt me, and hurt themselves, then they must already be shouldering a pain far too much for them to handle alone. I would want to be there to hold their hand and tell them it's going to be alright. It's the same for you, right?"

"I haven't changed my mind about killing her," Sapphire pointed out.

"But you saved her," Yang insisted. "You protected-"

"Why are you all trying to convince me I'm someone I'm not?" Sapphire snapped. "Why can't you see that I'm-"

"Because you're not a monster," Yang said firmly. "Ozpin knew that. When I spoke to you, I came to know that. When I looked into your eyes, I saw it; I saw that gentleness you still have. I could tell you weren't a monster. Why are you trying so hard to bluff yourself into thinking that you are?"

"You don't know that," Sapphire said savagely. Looking into Yang's eyes hurt so badly he wanted to turn away; he was hoping to refute her words, but all he ended up with was a desperate plea in his mind that she was right.

"I do know," Yang said, the look on her face both fierce and sorrowful. "I've seen them before. I've seen the eyes of real monsters that almost killed me and Ruby because of my stupidity. Those were eyes without a soul. Unlike yours."

Sapphire stayed silent as he listened. Her voice was calm, controlled, but it was so powerful to his ears. Her eyes were firm, but her gaze was somehow gentle. Even though she had forcefully denied his words, she never did once raise her voice. It was a mysterious feeling, listening to her speak. Even though he could not understand her enthusiasm to help a stranger like him, there was a part of him that told him he actually knew why.

Yang looked at the face on the bed, dyed by the warm colors of the setting sun outside. She vaguely wondered why she kept trying to help him, and she kept looking she found it: he had reminded Yang of herself. Seeing him now was like seeing her young self – a massive mistake waiting to happen, just before the regret began to sink in. She was watching a repeat of her mistake, now in someone else's shoes.

"You're a part of Team RWBY now," she said. "We want to help you. Blake definitely feels the same way. But we're not helping you get revenge. We're not helping you become a murderer. We're helping you reclaim what you've lost.

"I've seen and done my share of mistakes," her words, basking in the warmth of the setting glow, echoed. "I don't want to see someone else destroy themselves because of an obsession."

Yang knew it then. She understood then that she, Blake and Sapphire had something in common: they were all guilty of letting a single thought occupy their minds, preventing them from seeing anything else; Yang in the search for her mother, Blake in hunting down Torchwick, and Sapphire for revenge.

She had lived through that mistake thanks to her uncle. She had helped Blake with hers. Now, it was not up to her to help Sapphire; that role fell on Blake's shoulders. The only problem that remained was if she could find the strength to do so.

_Good luck, sis,_ she silently hoped.

* * *

><p>She knew she could not deny the past. She would not deny it, and she would not forget it.<p>

She had friends who would always be there to support her, to help her through the darkest nightmares. She had a hopeful future to look forward to, instead of always looking back at the shadows that lurked in the past.

But in order to confront that past, to truly move on, she had to come to terms with it. She would not deny it, and she would find the strength to live with it. The ones who made her realize it were her friends, and they were also her source of strength.

With a firm hand, she reached for the bow on her head.

* * *

><p>The smell of fresh air could have been better, but Sapphire was not bothered by it. He had hated the three days he had wasted, confined in the infirmary and unable to do anything but sleep. It did, however, give him time to think.<p>

Adjusting the tie on his uniform, Sapphire considered jogging to the dorm for some exercise, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a familiar face approach him.

She was wearing her usual combat wear instead of the school uniform. She had her weapon sheathed on her back. But the one thing that made everyone she passed by stop and stare was the pair of ears on her head.

Blake Belladonna stood firmly before Sapphire, her usual bow nowhere to be seen.

"I've decided," she said, looking at him in the eye and not breaking away. "I won't run away anymore. I'll accept the past, and who I am.

"And now, I will fight you as the Monochrome you wanted to kill."


	13. 13 - Change

**Chapter 13, and the final part of Blake's arc. It's come to this point, shorter than expected, but I didn't want it to drag so I suppose it's fine. Do let me know what you think of the story up till this point, and thank you for following up till now!**

**Enjoy:**

* * *

><p>She did not know when she started. She had no clue when the world had decided to turn against them. She could not remember when she had first supported their protests. She could not recall when she had joined their ranks.<p>

But she still saw clearly every moment spent brandishing her weapon.

To get their own place in the world, they fought. To become a part of the world they lived in, they battled against it. She shut her eyes, covered her ears, but reality's horrid symphony continued to play in her head.

They were treated like monsters, so they wore the face of monsters. And from behind that cold, ruthless mask, she saw the world change.

They were acknowledged. They were feared. They had become an existence whose presence the world finally recognized. Even though it could be said that they had achieved their objective – and she her dream – she could not smile.

No one knew of her sentiments. No one paid heed to her conflicted heart. No one saw the tears of a girl behind the face of a monster.

To them, she was nothing more than a beast.

* * *

><p>"Adam!"<p>

He stopped. He was never one to indulge in palavers, and she could tell that her worries were starting to grate on his nerves. But she had to say it.

"I… don't want to participate in tomorrow's mission," she confided. It was a simple task: go to a factory and wait for a mercenary group to show up. When they acquire their target – a cargo belonging to the Schnee Corporation – ambush them and take it back. While the mercenaries fight the Schnee security that catch up, they would make their escape. It was hardly a challenge.

"We've been through this," Adam replied, his tone harsh. "We don't have a choice."

"Haven't we done enough?" she asked. "Why do we have to keep doing these things? No one's going to accept terrorists-"

"Do you think they will ever accept us otherwise?" Adam fired back, removing the mask covering his eyes. Blake immediately looked away; she had seen Adam's face before, but even so, she could not bring herself to meet his eyes. She was far too afraid to. "Does this face tell you that there's even a remote possibility that humans will accept us – the 'worthless animals'?

"There is no other choice here," he repeated savagely. "If we want to be seen, we must be feared. If we are to escape the wretched fate of being bound by chains and living in fear and subjugation, we have to be the ones who hold the chains. We have to be the ones who are feared."

Wearing the mask once more, the enigmatic swordsman turned away from his partner.

"We don't have a choice," he repeated.

* * *

><p>She carried him to the rendezvous point. Adam might be there, but he was more likely to have already left; his objective had been to destroy the temple then immediately head to retrieve the target. If there was anything left, she could treat the mercenary whose name she did not even know, but carried on her shoulders. It would at least give him a chance to live.<p>

"Why…" the mercenary groaned. His voice was hoarse and blood dribbled from his lips as he spoke.

"We're not all monsters," Blake replied resolutely. "We just wanted to lead normal lives."

"I see…" the man croaked. "Fall and… Black are probably… there… They'll kill you… on sight…"

"Why are you telling me this?" Blake asked, despite helping an enemy as she spoke.

"We're not… all monsters, right?" the mercenary panted, managing a weak smile.

They reached the temple. Or rather, they reached what was left of it. The sounds of explosions in the background told Blake that it was time to withdraw. Despite knowing that, she still held on to the nameless mercenary.

The backup team arrived shortly after. Leaving him on the ground in front of them, Blake dived into the cover of the trees before they could open fire.

As she ran, she vaguely heard them shouting that they had extracted someone from the wreckage. She heard something about Fall despite it being autumn, but what occupied the mind of the Faunus had been the dying man she saved.

She could have sworn he said, 'thank you'.

* * *

><p>"Hey, you alright, Blake?"<p>

Keeping silent, Blake simply nodded. She was the one who said she wanted to talk, but now that he was here, she found it difficult to speak up.

"I heard your teammate got hurt," Sun began. "Yang told me he'd be alright, but it must be tough. How're you holding up?"

"I-" Blake paused. "I'm fine. I just wanted to talk about something else, and you came to mind, so…"

Ruby had done enough, said enough. Yang had already helped her out once. Weiss was busy with her family matters. That left only one person she could discuss this with.

"Hey, Sun," she said at last. "Have you ever thought of what life would be like as a human?"

"Nope," Sun replied easily. "I've never bothered with things like that. I'm me, and that's enough for me. Being a Faunus or a human won't change that."

Did that mean that no matter what she was, she would be doomed to make the same mistakes?

"You're not afraid of how normal people look at you?" Blake asked. "Of how they're afraid of you and alienate you?"

"To be honest, I'm afraid of thinking that way," Sun answered. "If I end up thinking that way, I'd become unable to live with myself. I'm afraid of denying who I am; I mean, if I deny my own identity, who can tell me who I really am?"

Blake said nothing. She had always thought of Sun as an interesting person: he was happy-go-lucky and carefree, but most of all, he lived completely unrestrained by the same problems that shackled Blake. She never knew, or expected, that he would have something that he feared as well.

"I wanted to be proud of who I am," Sun went on. "I thought that if I was honest with myself, people would be honest with me. I-I don't mean to say that hiding your identity is a mistake, though!" he added hastily.

"It's okay, Sun," Blake assured him. "Thanks for telling me."

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Sun replied awkwardly. "So… Is there something else you wanted to ask?"

"Yes, but those can wait," Blake answered, standing up from the bench. Someday, she could probably come to tell him everything. Would he still accept her as a friend then? "Let's go and watch a movie after this is over, okay?"

Sun was stunned speechless.

"You don't want to?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Y-yeah! I-I mean, no! I-I mean-" Sun fumbled with his words for a few moments. Blake wondered if it was a common trait for blond boys to stutter like that. "Y-yeah, sure; that'd be great!"

"It's a date, then," Blake replied, turning to walk away.

"Blake!" Sun stood up abruptly. He was unsure of the reason for that uncertainty, but he decided to follow his gut. "It's a promise, okay? I'll be waiting."

Blake smiled.

"Of course," she said.

* * *

><p>Sapphire surveyed the area Blake had chosen for their fight. They were standing in the clearing created by Sapphire's battle against the Grimm days ago, which unlike the rest of the Emerald Forest now stood bare, exposed to the clear skies overhead.<p>

_So if someone dies here, it won't cause a commotion,_ Sapphire reasoned inside his head. _The din won't draw an audience, either. Not bad._

He had tossed aside his school uniform, and was now wearing what appeared to be his casual attire: a grey long-sleeved collared shirt with his emblem on its back and a smaller version of it printed on the chest in front. He also wore a pair of dark grey shorts that slightly covered the top of Lifesaver, otherwise exposing the entire machine. On his arms were Daybreak and Duskfall, currently in their blade forms.

"I'd like to set up one rule before we begin," Blake declared, wielding her blade and sheath in separate hands. Sapphire raised an eyebrow, but did not protest. "You can't use that battle form you used to fight off the Grimm before."

Combat mode was forbidden. Sapphire understood the reason for that rule: with Combat Mode activated, the effects of his Semblance on his body would be stronger. In such a situation, Blake, who was a close/mid-range fighter, would lose easily in a battle of brute strength.

However, even with heightened senses, Sapphire would not be able to use most of his techniques in Combat Mode due to the resulting pain from activating it. Using it meant to forcibly trade technique for raw power and speed. Against Blake's skills, he was not sure he liked the odds of that option.

"Fine," he agreed. It worked to his advantage as well after all. "I'll add one as well: no accepting of any help from outsiders is allowed."

"Agreed," Blake replied; she too knew that Ruby, Weiss and Yang were watching this from a nearby bush. "Let's begin."

Almost instantly, Sapphire closed the distance between them, positioning Duskfall to be ready to strike. Blake evaded the incoming stab by ducking, raising her sheath to block the blade when it swung down a split second later without warning. She thrust her own blade forward, hitting the flat end of Daybreak's blade.

Pivoting his body mass on his left leg, Sapphire spun and performed a vicious roundhouse kick. Blake ducked even lower, sinking into a crouch before performing a leg sweep, catching Sapphire's left leg. Sapphire used the momentum to do a cartwheel, positioning them in such a way that his back was towards the sun.

Making use of the shadow covering his figure from Blake's view, Sapphire swung Daybreak upwards, sending up sparks when it collided with Blake's blade. Blake slashed through the air between them, catching Duskfall in the middle of a swing while parrying the overhead slash from Daybreak.

Swinging her blade and sheath in a continuous circular motion, Blake forced Sapphire back a few steps before jumping up, spinning to build up momentum. Sapphire held up his arms to block, but Blake did not follow up with a slash; instead, she had flung out her weapon, now in pistol form, attached to the black ribbon around her arm.

Knocking the pistol into the air with his right hand, Sapphire leaned forward to prepare for a charge, Duskfall drawn back and ready for a swift thrust in one fluid motion. However, the moment Blake landed on her feet, she pulled her ribbon, and an instant later a gunshot rang out before the sharp sound of impact slammed Sapphire's right hand downwards, breaking his momentum; she had fired with frightening precision at the flat end of his blade.

As Blake grabbed her weapon and pounced, Sapphire did a backflip to avoid falling over while attempting to land a hit. Blake put one hand on Lifesaver's sole in mid-air, pushing herself away from rushing into a kick and landing behind Sapphire.

This time, Blake closed the distance, using her blade and sheath to hack at Sapphire, who managed to react in the nick of time and matched her blow for blow: neck, shoulder, chest, stomach – he was able to follow Blake's movements effectively, preventing her from landing a single hit.

She was not using her Semblance. Sapphire knew what she was planning: by making him get used to these light attacks, she could catch him off guard with a sudden attack that would end his life in one hit; after all, if he was merely wounded, his Semblance would just power him up.

Trapping her blade in between his, Sapphire swung his arms downwards to his side, dragging Blake forward. He brought up his knee, but Blake kicked off against the ground and did a somersault over his head, using his shoulder as support. Taking advantage of her temporary immobility due to being in mid-air, Sapphire stabbed at her chest with Daybreak. That attack, however, was stopped forcefully.

While in mid-air, Blake let go of her weapons, using the ribbon to catch Sapphire's wrist and keep it there. She then tugged and disrupted his balance as his hand was pulled forward. In the next moment, she flung out the ribbon to catch his other wrist and in one swift movement bound them together. While she could no longer hold the sheath while managing the ribbon, Blake used her other hand to hold her blade.

Then, she used her Semblance.

Sapphire almost did not register what he was seeing; faster than he could blink, another Blake had materialized out of thin air. He barely managed to avoid the blade as it swung upwards from beyond his peripheral vision, still unable to strike back because of the ribbon.

Blake was well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of their weapon types. She could freely wield hers, which also meant that she could drop them at any time. As opposed to that, while Sapphire could not drop his weapons, once they were immobilized, so was he. At such a moment, an increased pace in attacks using clones was extremely difficult to deal with.

With a flick of his wrist, Sapphire changed both of his weapons back into their crossbow forms, jumping up to avoid another flurry of blows while using Lifesaver to block the ones he could not dodge. Blake quickly pulled him down instead of letting him fall on his feet, using more clones to confuse him.

Sapphire raised his arms, and right into Gambol Shroud's path. Instead of cleaving through cloth and skin, a loud 'clang' was heard as Sapphire forcibly pushed away the blade and fired an arrow at Blake's face.

Metal plates. His reason for choosing a long-sleeved shirt had been to hide them from view, until a moment where that surprise was needed. Using the split second's delay from the counter and from Blake's reaction to dodge his arrow, Sapphire shot another arrow at the ground, where it exploded and sent up a large cloud of smoke.

Pulling his hands out of the ribbon and switching to blade forms, Sapphire attacked Blake as she stepped out of the smoke, missing and hitting the air next to her – no. He had hit the clone which disappeared the instant his blade made contact. When he raised his arm to block the counterattack, he quickly jerked his head to the left as the blade narrowly missed his neck. The blade still swung stopped before reaching his arm, doing no damage – it was only an afterimage by a clone's movements.

Spinning around on the spot and swinging his blades, Sapphire forced Blake to put some distance between them before charging at the only one left, only to miss his swing when Blake sped off in another direction, using a clone as a foothold.

Sapphire's eyes flickered to a red hue. It was nowhere as powerful as in Combat Mode, but releasing whatever amount of it he could still boosted his abilities.

Predicting Blake's next move, Sapphire charged at her before stopping and swinging his hands violently outwards. Blake, who had intended to leap past him and slash him in the middle of that motion, was pushed back, her weapon deflected. Grabbing her sheath, she attempted to stop him with a pincer attack from the sides, but Sapphire continued to charge as though unaware. His hands were crossed in front of him, as though planning to use his arms to block a frontal attack.

As Blake's weapons closed in, Sapphire clenched his fists tightly and let go. Instantly, two bullets fired out from the hole drilled beneath the blades, hitting her weapons and pushing them away, clearing him a path straight at Blake. With a swift tug of her ribbon, Blake sent her blade flying back into her hand, propelled by the recoil from the gunshot. She managed to parry Daybreak's thrust, but Duskfall caught the side of her stomach as she twisted her body to dodge it, drawing a thin line of blood as it cut a shallow wound.

* * *

><p>In the bushes, observing the fight they were barely able to follow with their eyes, the remaining members of Team RWBY watched with bated breath. Weiss was clearly the most agitated, with an expression of extreme concern and worry.<p>

"Shouldn't we step in?" She hissed. "This looks serious!"

"No," Yang whispered back. "Blake knows what she's doing."

"They both do," Ruby said with a determined expression on her face.

"What're you saying?!" Weiss asked. "He's clearly trying to kill her!"

"No," Ruby denied outright, making Weiss go quiet out of surprise. "He's searching for something, but he just hasn't found it yet; he's not going to take her life. I'm sure Blake is trying hard to convey the answer to him right now."

"How can you tell?" Weiss and Yang asked at the same time, peeling their eyes away from the fight to stare at Ruby.

"I trust them," Ruby replied simply.

* * *

><p>Sapphire was starting to feel the pain return. It was a dull pain, sure, but it was a sign that he should not be drawing out the battle any longer. As though sharing his urgency, Blake attacked with an increased sharpness in her eyes.<p>

Instead of reaching out with his blades to block her attacks, Sapphire swung his blades and parried Blake's attacks in mid-air as the weapons made brief contact. The moment he swung a hand down to where Lifesaver was, he grabbed a pistol and fired.

Blake deflected the first two bullets, and sliced the gun in two before it could fire again. She stabbed down with her sheath, catching Sapphire across the arm. She did not aim for the weapons on his forearms, but instead tore off the metal plates affixed to the upper part of his arms. As Sapphire switched Daybreak to crossbow form while tossing a grenade between them, Blake swung her blade diagonally and caught Sapphire's shoulder, tearing off some cloth and blood.

As the grenade fell towards the ground, Blake used a clone to distract Sapphire and slashed down the moment the arrow fired at the wrong target. Sapphire swung up Duskfall, still in blade form, twisting his whole body around to parry that blow. Blake then used her sheath to slice across Sapphire's thigh, before-

The next moment, the ground beneath Sapphire's feet exploded. The grenade which he had flung earlier was a dud meant to serve as a distraction, but Blake had not fallen for it. Instead, Sapphire released a real one beneath his feet.

His blades piercing through the cloud of dust and debris, Sapphire's attack was blocked by Blake. He coordinated Daybreak' and Duskfall's actions, swinging them in tandem to leave no openings in his attack. Blake managed to keep up with his pace, parrying every blow. Occasionally, she used her clones, but Sapphire had already become accustomed to her attack pattern; he was able to accurately predict her next attack and block it before following up with a counter of his own.

Slowly being forced back while fending off Sapphire's attacks, Blake felt her arms go numb. In a battle of attrition, there was no way she could prevail with Sapphire's Semblance making him stronger. She was nearing her limit, and she was well aware of it.

Despite that, she gripped her weapon tightly.

With a powerful sideways swing, Sapphire knocked the sheath out of Blake's hand, and in the next hit the blade. Blake took a step back, but Duskfall, which had disarmed her of her sheath, was already tearing through the air and towards her neck.

Blake closed her eyes. It was fine for things to end this way.

She felt light. Even the numbness in her arms felt distant as she relaxed. Why did it feel like a burden had been removed from her shoulders, but at the same time, her chest felt constricted?

She waited. However, no matter how long she waited, she did not feel the pain. Was she not supposed to be stabbed right now?

Slowly and gingerly opening her eyes, Blake caught the reflection of the afternoon sun on the gleaming side of Duskfall's blade, its sharp tip inches away from her neck but frozen in time.

"Why?"

Sapphire's voice snapped her out of her reverie. Time had not paused; Sapphire had simply stopped his final blow. But why?

"Why didn't you fight to kill?" Sapphire asked, his expression unreadable from where Blake stood, his body still leaned forward, hand in mid-thrust.

He realized it during the last moments of their fight. She never had the intention of killing him, and even when she raised her concentration and became desperate during the last few moments, she only sought to wound. From the very beginning, she had had no intention of taking Sapphire's life.

"I…" Blake was surprised to hear her own voice when she finally spoke. She also stood, unmoving, in the position that should have spelled her end. "I couldn't."

Sapphire did not reply. Blake took a deep breath, and continued.

"I've decided," she announced. "I won't give up on my past or try to forget it. I won't deny it, because that'll be denying who I am. I want to accept the past, but also your sorrow and anger which I'm responsible for. Because my team taught me that no one should have to suffer alone.

"I made the decision to live with my past," she said, her voice gentle. "But I can't bring myself to kill a teammate. If I had to fight one, I'd rather die by their hand if it meant it would help you move on."

She could not kill him. Sapphire had believed that she had battled that way to avoid his Semblance, but she had been out to wound at worst from the beginning.

"That rule," he whispered, his voice trembling. In truth, he already knew the answer: she forbade the use of Combat Mode in the battle to prevent him from suffering the aftereffects following the battle.

From the way she limited her fighting to the very rules governing the fight, Blake had only been thinking of Sapphire's well-being the entire time while his mind thought of nothing but killing. She simply fought back so it would not be too easy for him.

When had she become the caring teammate, and him the killer instead?

From the moment they battled – no, from the moment Blake revealed her Faunus nature and decided to fight him – Sapphire had already lost in a battle of resolve.

The one who chose not to forget the past was him. Now, the one who was driven and controlled by the past was also him. The one who could not open his eyes to the present or the future, but constantly berated the past and never looking away from it, was Sapphire.

Blake accepted her past and decided to move on while acknowledging it. Even though he had said all those words believing in his own warped sense of righteousness, Sapphire never did budge from the past. In both that farce of a duel and in a clash of wills, Sapphire had lost without question.

_It's your win,_ he muttered in his head, his body losing strength as he fell to his knees. Blake stood in front of him, her amber eyes filled with determination.

"The Monochrome you knew no longer exists," she said. "But if I ever turn my back on my friends, and return to those dark shadows, you will find her again. For now, I just want to fight with them as a team, as friends. But it's not just them; I want you to trust me and fight with us."

For what reason had he stepped into the battle? Was there a part of him that believed he would find an answer besides killing? Was there a part of him that wished for it?

Was there a part of him that did not wish to kill her, because she was a part of the team he joined, and that he wanted to have people with him? Was there a part of him that wanted to be able to rely on those whom he fought to protect? Even after losing so much?

"You're not a killer," Blake said. She knew he had taken lives, yet she uttered that lie. Because to her, it was the truth. "You're not a monster who hides in the darkness; you're just someone who stood in the shadows for too long. I know because I've crossed swords with you. I've seen the conflict in your eyes when you fought."

He did not know what to do. He did not know what to feel. He could not just throw away his past, or his motivations for such a present, such a future. But could he live with it somehow?

"I have to kill Monochrome," he said at last.

Was it alright for him to move on, then?

"But fighting alongside Blake Belladonna might not be so bad."

Was it alright for him to decide that by himself? Was it alright to step into a future like that, even while acknowledging his past?

"Should the day ever come when Monochrome returns," he said, standing up and looking into her eyes. He would not ignore the past, and he would never go back on his word. "I will kill her."

But right now, he lived in the present.

"That's fine by me," Blake replied, offering him her hand.

He would never forget the past, but he would never let himself get trapped there again.

With a smile far smaller than his usual smirk or grin, yet far more genuine by comparison, Sapphire Fall shook that hand.

Maybe people really do change.


	14. 14 - Prelude

**Chapter 14! With one arc over, I decided to put a breather of sorts before we begin the next arc proper. Though, it can be said that this is the start of the next arc as well, depending on how you see it.**

**Anyway, enjoy:**

* * *

><p>"So it appears that the matter involving Miss Belladonna is settled."<p>

Sapphire could not recall the last time he had seen Ozpin look so smug. It made him want to punch something.

"Yes, sir," he replied curtly; he used the tone of a student instead of a soldier's. "I won't be going for her head if that's why you wanted to know."

Ozpin nodded. He glanced towards his left, where Glynda Goodwitch stood with her arms folded across her chest. She scowled.

"Are you still hung up on getting revenge?" he asked.

"I can't say for sure about Taurus," Sapphire admitted. "But as for Mercury… I can't say I still want to kill him."

Hesitation. Uncertainty. The two elements that had never once been a part of his life now lurked behind his words and tone. Ozpin, however, did not appear to notice.

"I see," he replied, seemingly satisfied with that answer for now. "You may leave."

"Why didn't you ask him about the surgery?" Glynda asked as the door closed behind him.

"The time isn't right yet," Ozpin answered. "He won't agree."

"Another one of your 'trust the gut instinct' moments?" Glynda enquired, sighing as she massaged her aching temple.

"Just simple observation, Glynda," Ozpin replied. "I'm sure you noticed as well."

Glynda merely looked away, refusing to reply and admit that he was right.

* * *

><p>Sapphire walked down the empty corridor slowly, his eyes directed at the floor.<p>

He did not want to kill Mercury. The implications of those words hung stagnant in his head, haunting him persistently. Had it been because of the battle with Blake? Or had he simply become soft?

He constantly reminded himself that he was a mercenary. His hands were smeared with blood. His soul had sunken into sins that could not be forgiven with the lives he had robbed. He had sworn to kill Mercury, but now he could not even muster enough resolve to perform the heinous acts which he should have gotten used to. He had to, but he did not want to.

And yet, he could not bring himself to mind that much somehow.

_You're not a monster._

He clenched his fists. Holding on tightly to those words, the former mercenary kept walking.

* * *

><p>He stood outside the room, eavesdropping on the conversation beyond the door.<p>

"But why can't Sapphire join?" Ruby was saying.

"Because he's not supposed to fight," Blake replied. "If we have to fight our way out, he may worsen his condition."

"Agreed," Weiss spoke up. "He'll only hinder the operation."

"But y'know," Yang said, her voice clearly suggesting that she was going to side with her little sister. "Sneaking into a White Fang gathering will be dangerous; it'd be better to have more people, right?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Ruby exclaimed. He wondered if they knew he was outside and were waiting for him to come in. "He's part of the team now, so we shouldn't be keeping this a secret from him!"

"I agree wholeheartedly," Sapphire said, finally stepping into the room, causing the four girls to turn and stare at him while seating around the small folding table in the center of the room. "Rose can't keep secrets after all."

"Were you eavesdropping?!" Weiss asked indignantly. "You have no manners!"

"I do," Sapphire protested. "I just choose to ignore them sometimes. Or most times. Whatever. What's this sneaking into the White Fang thing about?"

Weiss and Blake sighed.

"We've actually been at it for a while before you transferred," Yang explained. "We're currently tracking Roman Torchwick's movements and trying to stop whatever he's doing."

"Oh, him," Sapphire said. "He's hired us on a couple of occasions before."

As though making up for its recent absence, the stop-and-stare-at-Sapphire-while-speechless moment returned. Picking up on the disbelief in their eyes, Sapphire cleared his throat.

"That was a long time ago," he justified. "I was a merc and we mobilized when paid. It was usually stealing Dust or creating diversions, that's all."

"Do you know how to find him?" Blake asked hopefully.

"No," Sapphire replied heavily. "The higher ups usually keep the clients' information quiet. I only knew that Torchwick hired us when I spied on the transaction after the mission."

"So that's a dead end," Ruby groaned, lying down on the carpet. "That stinks…"

"Back to your conversation earlier," Sapphire said. "What gathering were you planning to infiltrate?"

"We managed to discover that there's an address to Faunus who were interested in joining the White Fang," Blake replied. "We were thinking of sneaking into it and figure out what they planned to do from there. It's only three days away, so-"

"Wait, you guys have been doing this way before I came here?" Sapphire cut across her, finally catching on. "By yourselves?"

"Yeah," all four members of Team RWBY said at the same time.

"Don't say it," Blake said immediately before Sapphire even opened his mouth again. "We know what we're doing."

"Fine," Sapphire agreed begrudgingly. "But I want in."

"Well, it's not as if we have much of a choice, right?" Weiss asked exasperatedly. "You'd tag along even if we said no, right?"

"Spot-on, snowflake," Sapphire praised, receiving a glare from her. "Belladonna, you-"

"Blake."

"What?" Sapphire asked, flummoxed.

"Call me 'Blake'," Blake replied. "It's easier that way. Besides, everyone calls me that."

"Oh! Oh!" Ruby, suddenly full of energy, sat upright. "Call me Ruby! My surname's good too, but I like it when people call me by my name!"

"You can't go wrong with 'Yang' for me!" Yang chipped in cheerfully, winking playfully with a wide grin on her face.

"I suppose you can call me Weiss," Weiss said, somewhat reluctantly. "I get reminded of my background without people calling me by my surname, thank you very much."

_Winter's sister, indeed,_ Sapphire mused in his head.

"In any case," he went on. "You said that there're three days left, right?"

"Yeah," Blake nodded. "We were thinking of how we could all go in without attracting too much attention; I'm fine so long as Torchwick doesn't see me, but everyone else here is a human."

"Leave that to me," Sapphire said. "I'll make some calls and have the stuff ready by tomorrow. It'll allow us to pass off as Faunus for a simple gathering. Give me a day and I'll fill you guys in."

The four girls looked at each other, considering his proposal. Ruby did not seem to mind, and Yang actually seemed quite excited about the whole idea.

"Alright," Blake agreed. "Show us what you can do then."

"Great!" Yang exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Now that that's settled, let's enjoy the rest of the weekend!"

When he saw her reach for her pillow, Sapphire immediately dived out of the room.

* * *

><p>"A meeting?"<p>

Mercury did not bother masking his displeasure at being told to attend something so boring. Nonetheless, he did not dare say 'no' right to Cinder's face.

"Roman's putting in some effort to regain the trust of the little animals he lost the last time," Cinder explained. "After losing even when using that shiny new toy of his, the White Fang found it harder to trust him. He seems to be confident he has something that would change their minds this time."

"So what'd you want me to do about it?" Mercury asked, not seeing her point.

"Tell me what it is," Cinder replied simply. "Go see what he has to offer them, and report back to me."

"He didn't tell you?" Emerald asked, seated in a chair beside Cinder's bed.

"He's been less than cooperative since his little run-in with the girls," Cinder said. "I want you to see just what is it that makes him so confident."

"You mean more confident than usual?" Mercury asked. Cinder smiled faintly.

"Mercury," she said. "Don't talk so much."

* * *

><p>"So, man," Jaune said, smiling as he put an arm around Sapphire. "I heard you lost to Blake in a fight."<p>

"Who told you-" Sapphire began, but he saw Ruby fumbling with her glass of milk. He sighed. "Yes, it's true."

"Hey, welcome to the club, buddy!" Jaune cheered. "We're all part of the losing-to-women brotherhood now."

Sapphire smirked. It was not an entirely pleasant smirk, and Blake could swear she saw a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"That so?" he asked. "Well if we're part of the same brotherhood, then I'm sure you wouldn't mind a little sparring match, right?"

"E-eh, um, I'm a pacifist," Jaune replied sheepishly.

"Tell you what," Sapphire said, raising his voice so that the rest of Team JNPR could hear. "If you win, I'll help you keep that embarrassing secret of Nikos's which you told me the other day."

Pyrrha, elite huntress in training who beat Team CRDL by herself, spat out her orange juice violently. Ren and Nora managed to dive out of the way in the nick of time and managed to avoid the incoming geyser, while Jaune simply looked confused. He flinched when a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, a brilliant smile blossoming across her face. "Win at all costs, okay?"

"Eh?" Jaune asked goofily. He was getting some very bad vibes from his girlfriend right now. "U-um, Pyrrha? W-why do you have such a scary aura around you even though you're smiling?"

"But you know, Jaune," Pyrrha went on, ignoring his words. "I'd _really _like to know what you told your dear brother back there. You'd tell me, wouldn't you?"

"Er-um," Jaune managed. "I-I didn't say – that is to say, I'm not trying to bluff my way out – b-but I didn't say any- Pyrrha? W-why do you have your spear out? What- Ouch!"

"Do excuse us for a bit," Pyrrha said, that dazzling smile still on her face as she dragged Jaune out of the cafeteria by the collar of his school uniform. The blonde was struggling helplessly as he was led out the door and disappeared from view.

"That went well," Sapphire commented casually, turning back to his cereal.

"You have no soul," Blake sighed, before gasping as she realized what she had said; she knew Sapphire was sensitive. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Doesn't matter," Sapphire said, waving away her apologies. "Don't worry about it."

"So Sapphy," Nora leaned across the table. "Did Jaune actually tell you anything?"

"Nope," Sapphire answered immediately. "But I thought we could use a little entertainment to kick start the day."

Ren put his hands together in a prayer.

"May his soul rest in peace," he muttered.

"Pieces, maybe," Sapphire said, listening to the shrieking of a girl in the distance.

* * *

><p>Seated around the table, Sapphire and Team RWBY wore deadly serious expressions as they pondered endlessly and tirelessly.<p>

"So we go with the blue?" Sapphire asked, breaking the tense silence. "Are you sure?"

"It brings out the color of his eyes," Ruby replied.

"But he was proud of the fact that he was a natural blonde," Yang pointed out, stroking her own hair. "I mean, I can relate."

"They should be red," Blake said. "They'll remind him of Pyrrha."

"What'd you think, Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"Huh?" Weiss jumped at being called, looking around in confusion. "W-what?"

"We're discussing what flowers Arc would like on his grave," Sapphire replied seriously.

Before Weiss could reply, there was a knock on the door. Sapphire stood up and opened it, but jumped back and got into a fighting stance immediately after seeing who it was.

"Battle positions!" he yelled. He was somewhat getting used to the hyper vibe of this room. "Whatever you do, don't let it bite you!"

"I'm not a zombie!" Jaune protested.

"It lives!" Yang shouted from behind the table. "Get behind me, sis!"

"And I'm not Fran-" Jaune began, before remembering what he came here for. "Oh wait. I'm here for Weiss, not to mess around!"

"Double-crossing's a crime," Sapphire pointed out. "At least to your partner."

"I'm not double-crossing!" Jaune protested, easily pulled into Sapphire's pace.

"Is polygamy considered cheating?" Sapphire asked the room at large.

"My heart belongs only to Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted, before a deep hue of red crept up his neck and over his forehead. Steam subsequently poured out of his ears.

"What did you want with me, Jaune?" Weiss asked, her expression slightly dazed as she walked towards the door.

"He wants you," Sapphire offered.

"No! The headmaster's looking for you," Jaune finally said the words he wanted to say after taking Sapphire's bait again.

"Right," Weiss replied. "Thanks."

Without another word, Weiss left the room. An uncomfortable silence remained, prompting Jaune to look even more confused.

"What's with her?" he asked.

"She's been preoccupied with something lately," Yang replied. "We don't know what, and she wouldn't tell us anything either. We thought we'd cheer her up with some messing around, but that didn't work out so well."

"I see," Jaune muttered. "Wait; does that mean I was just used for comic relief?"

"You didn't realize that?" all four people in the room asked at the same time.

Jaune groaned in defeat.

* * *

><p>"How sure are you about this plan?"<p>

"Do you even need to ask?" Roman snapped. The lack of intelligence that came with a Faunus brain was frustrating to accept sometimes. He kept that comment to himself, though; they may be stupid, but they outnumbered him.

"I can see the benefits to our cause," the White Fang lieutenant said. "But is this really feasible?"

"Of course it is," Roman insisted. "Unless you're telling me your men are so incompetent they can't pull off something like this?"

"Watch your mouth, human," the lieutenant snarled. "Do not _ever_ mock the White Fang. We are more than capable of pulling off something this simple."

"Then it's settled," Roman concluded. "With this, your army will grow when they find out that you really have what it takes to bare your fangs at the enemy."

_And give me more pawns to manipulate, _he thought with a wicked smile.

"Very well," the lieutenant said slowly. "We'll follow your idea and assassinate Weiss Schnee."

* * *

><p><span><strong>I wanted some humor in here, what with the serious tone and all. Did it work out fine?<strong>

**Do let me know how you find the story thus far, and I hope you enjoyed! Till the next chapter!**


	15. 15 - A Simple Thank You

**This chapter came a little later than usual; please forgive me…**

**A cookie to whoever can guess correctly the main girl of this arc!**

* * *

><p>She told herself not to be jealous. She reminded herself that others should be looking at her with those eyes, not the other way around. But she always ended up envying them, because they all possessed something she did not.<p>

Being a Schnee meant to be born into comfort, luxuries and greatness. It meant being born into success, nothing but success, and an inevitable fate to become a force to be reckoned with. It was a destiny that could not be avoided, and it was something mere commoners could not understand.

And yet, it was these commonplace individuals whom she admired and envied.

She was not jealous of their mundane lives. She did not covet living lavishly, but she harbored no particular longing for an ordinary, everyday life. She was not envious of their carefree smiles, brought upon by the ignorance towards the demands of an elite's world.

She was jealous of their superiority.

She was jealous of her, and her vastly superior combat abilities. The red-haired Huntress in training possessed a gift, a talent for battle, and her skills were far beyond her own. When she saw her for the first time at Beacon, she did not restrain herself and talked to her. She might have made some progress, maybe even managed to get some tips, if not for a certain blonde getting in the way.

Then she was jealous of him. She was jealous of that annoying blonde who was nothing more than a pain in the neck. She was jealous not of his close relationship with the Huntress she admired and envied in equal measure, but of the fact that he had found love. She was envious that he, of all people, had found love before she could; her own love interest hardly seemed to be that interested in her at all.

Then she was jealous of her. When they first met in front of the school, the dolt with silver eyes and black hair tinged with red was just a klutz. She had thought of this young girl as nothing more than an idiot at first – an observation backed up by the explosion that followed which left a crater where they stood. The hopeless case was truly an idiot, even though she had the good fashion sense to wear a combat skirt as well. She thought that for once, the world was right; the dolt in front of her was proof that the elites and the common folk stood on different levels.

But the dolt was so much more. The blundering buffoon who hardly knew how to handle Dust had not only become her team leader, but she also found out later that her leader's skills were so extraordinary that they had let her attend Beacon two years early. The red-cloaked insufferable moron was so much more than she – the supposed elite – was.

Then he came along. She was no longer even surprised when she discovered that he was better than her in fighting. Sure, he was a former mercenary, but he was no elite. _She_ was the elite. She was the elite whom everyone could tell at first glance was weaker than he was.

When he fought against her teammate, she felt her jealousy towards her leader increase. Her words, her confidence, her faith in her friends – that blockhead's capacity as a leader was something she could never have. The maturity she felt in those words was no illusion, and neither was the stabbing throb in her chest that followed.

Pyrrha Nikos had her unmatched skills. Jaune Arc had his experience in love. Ruby Rose had a charisma most people would never even notice. Yang Xiao Long had overwhelming confidence in the face of stronger foes. Blake Belladonna had the courage to face her fears. But Weiss Schnee had nothing.

Everyone around her had talents and achievements far beyond her own. She was supposed to be at the top, but instead she was the one groveling in mediocrity. She already had a head start in life, but now she was the one being left behind.

Surrounded by outstanding people, the unexceptional elite stood alone.

* * *

><p>Weiss took deep breaths, trying to steady her nerves. Her talk with the headmaster had progressed well, and he even agreed to her requests. Granted, they were not outrageous requests, but she had not expected him to agree so easily.<p>

Her sister had done most of the work, signing the papers and going through the proper procedures to let her leave the school outside of curfew as and when she had to. All that was left was to practice. But above all else, she had to keep this a secret from her team. Until it was time, anyway.

Making sure that she did not look nervous or anything besides neutral, confident and elegant, Weiss reached for the doorknob.

She had expected to see them lazing about, maybe with the exception of Blake who would likely be reading a book. Instead, everyone was huddled around a large cardboard box Sapphire was rummaging around in.

"What's that?" Weiss asked, her voice equal parts curiosity and trepidation.

"Oh, you're back, Weiss!" Ruby said, turning around. "Welcome back."

Weiss froze. Her eyes were fixated on the top of Ruby's head. Or at least what was on it.

"Ruby," she said slowly. "What are you wearing?"

"Oh, this?" Ruby fiddled with the cat ears on her head as they twitched. "It's a Faunus disguise!"

"Are you kidding?" Weiss asked incredulously. "There's no way that would- wait; did it just move?"

"It's not some plastic prop," Sapphire explained. "The ears are set to twitch every now and then at random intervals. They feel real, too; try touching them and then go touch-"

"No," Blake said resolutely. "I've felt them and they're fine."

"Is that really going to be enough to fool a Faunus?" Weiss asked as Yang stuck a pair of bunny ears on her head and did a pirouette.

"Of course not," Sapphire replied. "That's why I brought this as well."

He held up a spray can. Blake immediately took a step away from it.

"This," Sapphire declared, shaking the can. "Is a compound one of our nerds cooked up. It gives off a scent humans can't pick up easily, but the more sensitive Faunus can. It masks your own human smell and covers it with one that's similar to a Faunus."

"How did you make that?" Blake asked apprehensively.

"Don't worry; we didn't use blood or anything," Sapphire assured her. "It's composed largely of Dust and the target Faunus's hair. We usually cut the hair off our prisoners; if they died, it'd be weird to wander around pretending to be them with their scent right?"

"Hey," Yang said, her eyes widening. "Does that mean if you use Blake's hair we can all smell like Blake?"

"Only to another Faunus, but yeah," Sapphire replied. "You'd have to disguise yourself as a cat Faunus for that, though."

"Great idea!" Ruby yelled. "We can all be cats like Blake! I like Blake's scent!"

"Wouldn't it be a problem if everyone smells the same?" Blake asked hastily, backing away.

"It's not a problem," Sapphire replied, evidently trying to hold in his smirk. "It'll make them smell similar, but not exactly the same, so as long as your species are similar most Faunus won't look twice at you."

"I-I still don't think it's such a good idea," Blake protested.

"You don't want to, Blake?" Ruby asked with a pleading expression, teary-eyed as she leaned towards the black-haired girl so her face occupied the latter's field of vision.

"U-um, I…" Blake faltered, unable to look at anything but the innocent girl whom she had come to develop a soft spot for since they enrolled in Beacon. And the puppy-dog eyes.

Sensing an opportunity, Yang swapped the fake cat ears on Ruby's head with puppy ears at lightning speed. Blake glared at the blonde angrily, but was immediately distracted when Ruby whined and drew closer, still waiting for her reply.

"You don't want to?" Ruby asked again. Sapphire was already holding a pair of scissors behind her, wearing a smug grin that he tried unsuccessfully to hide.

"Ugh…" Blake croaked, sounding like she was about to cry but was actually just conflicted. Ultimately unable to resist, she drooped her head and let her shoulders fall in defeat with a weak groan. "Fine…"

"Yay!" the two sisters cheered, exchanging double handed high fives. Blake settled for sulking in a corner.

"What about you, princess?" Sapphire asked, tilting her head at Weiss, who was foraging through the contents of the box herself.

"I'm _so_ not doing this," She said resolutely.

"But why, Weiss?" Ruby asked, but Weiss held up one hand to stop her.

"Don't you dare use that tactic on me, Ruby Rose!" she commanded, shutting her eyes. "I am NOT going to fall for it!"

"You know you can't resist, Weiss~" Yang teased wickedly, slowly pushing Ruby towards the white-haired heiress.

"No! No!" Weiss pleaded. "I-I'm not wearing such stupid things even if it kills me!"

"That… kinda hurt, Weiss," Blake said, although she had an understanding look on her face.

"T-That wasn't what I meant!" Weiss said immediately, opening her eyes out of surprise; she had forgotten Blake was a Faunus. "I-I just wanted to know if … Um… If there were more realistic-looking ones."

"Okay, lemme see," Sapphire muttered, reaching into the box. "I've got dog ears, bear ears, um… is this a rat tooth? Rabbit ears, lion mane, bull horns…"

"None of those sound very appealing," Weiss pointed out.

"Well, there's this," Sapphire offered, pulling out what looked like a brown rope. "I think the rat one is broken, but there's this monkey tail-"

"Give me the cat ears." Weiss demanded instantly.

"Wha-" Sapphire began.

"NOW," she emphasized.

* * *

><p>When Velvet Scarlatina entered the room, she was confused and surprised, although she could honestly not tell which weighed more. She did not know what to expect when she came here as requested, but she certainly had not expected to see four cat Faunus girls and a human boy who smelled like a bear Faunus. Especially when she was sure that at least the white-haired girl was definitely human.<p>

"That's for coming," Sapphire said, startling her. "Come on in."

"Hey Velvet," Blake greeted pleasantly.

"H-hi, Blake," Velvet replied timidly. "I-I see you're wearing your bow today."

"Oh, this?" Blake touched the bow on her head which covered her cat ears. "Yeah, I felt like it today."

After her battle with Sapphire, Blake often walked around without her bow. It pretty much exposed her identity as a Faunus to the whole school, but she did not mind, except maybe when Yang told Nora about her ears being sensitive and Blake ended up being subjected to plenty of stroking and tickling. She had made herself feel better by vividly reminding Yang of her punishment by Goodwitch for destroying the school building, and enjoying the blonde's petrified expression.

Even though she had nothing to hide anymore, Blake still sometimes wore a bow on her head and over her ears. She did not bother to hide her identity anymore, but occasionally she would be in the mood for wearing a bow like a change of clothing. To her, it was partly a reminder of her past as well as a fashion statement.

"Why are you here?" Blake asked. Velvet fidgeted and stole a couple of glances at Sapphire.

"I called her here to help," Sapphire explained. "Figured it'd be a little easier if we had two girls teach you fellas about how to act natural as a Faunus. There're some small details that matter depending on your Faunus type, right?"

"Yeah, like varying reactions to being touched at the non-human areas," Blake agreed. "But I didn't expect you to ask someone else for help, Sapphire."

"I know when an expert's opinions are needed," Sapphire said dismissively, turning to Velvet. "Do try to help us keep this a secret, okay?"

"Y-yeah," Velvet replied, managing a small nod. "I will."

"I'll leave you guys to it, then," Sapphire concluded, walking out and closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Once outside the door, Sapphire took out his cell phone and swiftly dialed a number. As he waited for the other side to answer, he walked down the corridor and towards the stairs that would take him to the roof.<p>

"Dynes speaking."

"Hello, Pat," Sapphire said. "How's the party prep coming along?"

There was a short moment of silence following that sentence, enough for Sapphire to register a passing Faunus student staring at him strangely. He could guess the reason, too; his thin build was very uncharacteristic of a bear Faunus, whom he must have smelled like to them right now.

"Who is this?" Patrick asked in a low voice. "What have you done with Sapphire?"

"It's me, genius," Sapphire growled.

"Wow," Patrick said in surprise. "You really sound different. What happened?"

"We'll talk about that some other time," Sapphire pushed open the door and stepped into the vermillion hue of the evening sun. The Sunday was ending, but looking over the roof and at the setting sun made one wonder if time had stopped just to preserve that scenery. "I want to know about the party now."

"Preparations are set," Patrick replied. "The desired staff will be at the gate. The other staff will… be a little too drunk to do the shift, I expect. They'll probably wake up with a hangover and no idea what happened."

Sapphire, as a teetotaler, often found it interesting that Patrick like to refer to his Semblance of memory manipulation's effects as being drunk. He considered drinking just to see if he would really forget something, but he could never actually bring himself to swallow liquor.

"Tell me about the guests who'll be attending," Sapphire prompted. Even though he was alone now, his old habit of referring to a mission's details as something completely normal stayed. Back then, it was used to prevent enemies who were listening in from understanding what they were really talking about. Now, it felt more like a strange game.

"Nothing much," Patrick replied. "Expect it to be a wasted trip; apparently there'll only be unveiling of new toys and some announcement."

"Noted," Sapphire replied. "Thanks, Pat."

"Hey, Saph," Patrick said just as Sapphire was about to hang up. "You sound better. That's good."

While Sapphire wondered what he meant by that, Patrick hung up.

"Thank you for the explanation," he grumbled sarcastically.

"U-um…"

Pocketing his phone and keeping his hands in his pockets, Sapphire turned and saw, much to his surprise, Velvet Scarlatina.

"You're done with the lecture?" he asked. "That certainly was quick."

"Y-yes," Velvet replied, looking at the ground nervously. "There wasn't much I could teach them in the end… B-but I had something I wanted to say… t-to you."

"Oh, if it's the bear scent, I-" Sapphire began; had it been so strong that it allowed her to trail him all the way here?

"No!" Velvet denied. "I… wanted to say thank you."

Sapphire said nothing as he raised an eyebrow. Velvet fidgeted uncomfortably for a few moments.

"A few years ago," she said, evidently trying to calm herself down and continue speaking. "You attacked a small village in Vacuo. It was a unique village with humans and Faunus worked together hand in hand."

The sun set fire to the clouds, drenching the boundless sky in the color of blood as it sank into the horizon, blazing a trail to its demise as it announced the approach of the all-enveloped darkness of night. Sapphire felt his blood run cold at those words.

He had killed people that day. Regular humans, innocent Faunus, adults, elderly, children. Now, one of the few survivors was standing before him, reminding him of that fact. Of that day. Of his unforgivable sins.

He thought he recognized her when he saw her back as she walked. He had seen a similar back belonging to a young Rabbit Faunus, also covered by that long swishing hair, as she escaped the massacre he had participated in.

"I did," he replied, his lips dry as he strained to keep a stoic expression. Velvet looked away from him.

"Y-you saved me that day," she went on. "Thanks to you, some of us were able to escape to safety. Because you stopped them back then, we were able to get away with our lives. I just… wanted to thank you personally. T-that's all."

Sapphire could not hide his shock. Did this girl know who she was talking to?

"Thank you," Velvet said, giving him a polite bow and a small smile. "For saving us back then."

With that, she turned and scurried down the stairs. Sapphire watched her go again, his lips simply refusing to move. Falling on his rear as his legs gave way, he brought a palm to his face.

She thanked him. Even though he had been the one who attacked the village, spilling blood everywhere as they burned it to the ground, she was still grateful to him for saving her life. Who would ever thank a killer over a simple good deed?

"You were right, Luke," Sapphire said, letting tears escape his eyes while a bitter smile formed shakily on his lips. "I'm a softy after all."

He was relieved. Even with guilt's ice-cold grip on his chest, he was still relieved to hear those words. Even with a soul tainted by the blood of his victims, he still embraced the tiniest sliver of salvation from her gratitude.

Managing a shaky laugh, Sapphire basked in the afterglow of the gentle sunset, as it embraced the world with its limitless warmth.

The darkness will come, and will continue to exist, but for now, there was a light out there somewhere.

* * *

><p><strong>I<span> hope I didn't make the early introduction in this chapter too confusing. I wanted to keep that style, so…<span>**

**With regards to Velvet's inclusion to this chapter, I wanted her presence and some of her backstory (made up by me, of course) to provide some contrast to Blake' and Sapphire's development compared to the beginning. As for whether she'll be in the story proper… *clears throat***

**As usual, lemme know what you think of the story! Till next chapter!**


	16. 16 - Curtains Rise

**Chapter 16 is here, and I thought I'd add a small scene to help address a review about the White Fang. It's not a spoiler or anything, but more of foreshadowing in case you were curious if the White Fang will play a bigger part in the story than this one plan. **

**If you have anything you'd like to clarify about this story, please do review or send me a PM! I'll address them either with a reply, an extra scene in future chapters, or both where applicable.**

**Now, without further ado, here's chapter 16:**

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><p>"What is that supposed to mean?!"<p>

Weiss, lost in her indignation, did not even care about the students around her whom she had startled with that outburst. It was a stroke of luck that Ruby was not around, because that dolt would definitely go into worrywart mode.

"Please calm down, Miss Schnee," the lady on the other end of the call said desperately. "The hall has already been booked, and-"

"So I don't get a say in this?!" Weiss snapped. "I only go and do whatever I'm told to do?! You want me to just go and perform like that?!"

"Miss Schnee-"

But Weiss had already hung up. She stormed through the school grounds, up the stairs, across the corridors, and trudged violently into Team RWBY's room. It was empty, which was both convenient as well as expected.

After the fiasco yesterday, Blake and Sapphire were sent to the infirmary. Blake only stayed for one night due to lack of significant physical damage, but she was still in shock. After she came back from classes, she just dropped her books and left. Ruby followed after her, and after Weiss left to pick up the call from earlier, Yang must have wandered off somewhere. That left Weiss alone with no one to talk to, and in a _really_ bad mood.

Refraining from taking out her anger on the countless possible targets in the room (which also included that wretched phone of hers as well as that blasted whistle Ruby had on her desk), Weiss collapsed onto her bed with a frustrated groan.

In three weeks' time, she was to perform in a large concert hall in Vale. The purpose was, without doubt, to promote the Schnee Corporation's image. Weiss had much pride and confidence in her singing, but she _hated_ it being used for something like this.

Even so, no matter how much she did not want to, she would still do it in the end. She was not stupid enough to let her own childish whims cloud her logic and prevent her from understanding what must be done. Winter knew that as well.

_Guess I better rehearse,_ she resigned herself to that inevitable fate in her head.

* * *

><p>"So, Cinder," Mercury said as he relaxed on his bed. "What do you plan to do after you know Roman's plan?"<p>

"Mercury," Emerald cut him a sharp look. "Shut up."

"It's okay," Cinder said, looking out the window. "No one's listening in on this."

"So… what're you gonna do?" Mercury asked again.

"If it works, nothing," Cinder replied. "The White Fang's success will draw in more recruits and it'll just be more soldiers for us. What I'm concerned with is what happens when it fails."

"So you're going to see if the plan's hopeful or not, then formulate a backup plan?" Mercury asked. "You should just go with the backup right now then; you really think Roman can pull anything off properly?"

"All in good time, Mercury," Cinder said patiently. "We have to know the details of the plan so we don't deviate from the objective. We want Roman to trust us. He's not that incompetent; I chose him, after all."

"What's it matter if it's just out to show off the White Fang?" Mercury asked. "Just do something that'll make 'em seem powerful then you've got your new recruits."

"Why don't you try thinking instead of talking sometimes, Mercury?" Emerald asked exasperatedly. "If we know how Roman plans to go about doing it, and if we succeed where he fails, it also shows off how superior we are."

"It's important to know who's in charge," Cinder added, smiling as she looked at a student walk across the school grounds. It was a student whose name she did not know, but was also one of the only two children who had stood against her in battle here at Beacon so far. Cinder figured he was about her age, but when she saw him with Ruby Rose's team, that thought vanished without a trace. "When Roman fails, we'll succeed and make him truly see just who has the upper hand in this cooperation. Then, both he and the White Fang will obediently do whatever we tell them to do. Well, more obediently than they are now, anyway," she added with a chuckle.

If Sapphire was still alive, would he look like that?

Feeling her weakness return, Cinder pushed those surfacing emotions back into the depths of her heart. Sapphire was dead, and she would exact revenge on the world that took him away.

"We'll make the world burn," she promised.

* * *

><p>Weiss held her breath as they approached their destination. It looked like a regular warehouse – one of the many that no one would pay any attention to, except for maybe the hole in one of the walls. Upon closer inspection, however, the hole was covered by a large pane of smoked glass that made it look like nothing was inside. It would not be surprising if the glass was soundproofed as well.<p>

The ears on her head twitched. Weiss hated the fact that she could feel it every time the fake ears moved, and wanted more than anything to take them off along with the mask on her face. But she persevered.

She was not pleased with how she had to wear a wig, either. While she agreed that her snow white hair was an attention grabber to most people (Faunus especially, considering her company's history with the White Fang), having to tie it into a tight bun to fit it under a wig was extremely annoying. Even though Yang had to wear one as well, at least the blonde's wig had long hair reaching her waist; Weiss's simply stopped somewhere at the shoulder.

This must have been the place Blake and Sun infiltrated the previous time. They did not change a location this time, which was a highly risky move but also a good idea; after all, no one would suspect it being used again after they had already been found there once.

"Say, is Sun coming?" Ruby asked out of the blue.

"No," Blake replied. "There's no need for him to put his life in danger for this."

"Aww, Blake is so cute when she's thinking of her boyfriend," Yang teased.

"It's- it's not like that at all!" Blake denied vehemently. "W-we're just friends; that's all!"

"But didn't you two go on a romantic movie date together~?" Yang asked, her trademark grin across her face. "You almost held hands, too!"

"Wh-wh-" Blake spluttered. "You foll-"

"Hush," Sapphire said as they reached the entrance.

The guard stationed there did not move aside to let them pass, and as they stood there awkwardly he gave them each a good long look before moving on to the next. Weiss could almost hear her heart hammering against her ribcage.

"You guys…" the guard said. "Look absolutely ridiculous."

Their cover was blown. It had been a terrible idea after all. Weiss saw Ruby's hand slip into her cloak, no doubt reaching for Crescent Rose. Weiss too readied her hand to release Myrtenaster at a moment's notice, until Sapphire stopped them with a wave of his hand, smiling despite the situation.

"It was Schnee's idea," he said, cocking his head in Weiss's direction.

"Hey!" Weiss exclaimed despite herself, before hastily slapping both hands across her mouth.

"Especially you," the guard went on, gesturing at Sapphire's bare chest exposed through his unbuttoned vest.

"I was told males should be more… exposed," Sapphire replied. "I got the tip from a certain monkey Faunus at school. Anyway, just let us in already."

"Fine," the guard stepped aside. "Ladies, I leave you to your host."

"What was that about?" Yang asked as they passed.

"He's an acquaintance," Sapphire answered. "It makes sneaking in and out much easier for us."

"Wow," Ruby gasped. She was not referring to Sapphire's statement, but rather at the interior of the warehouse.

What awaited them in the large space beyond the entrance was a teeming mass of masked Faunus, filling up the warehouse with ease. Blake and Sapphire did not look particularly affected, but the other three girls had never seen such a large gathering of Faunus in their lives before.

"Seven," Sapphire muttered, surveying the space. "No, eight. There're eight locations rigged to help our escape. Not bad, Pat."

Then, he froze. It was only a passing glance across the stage where a White Fang lieutenant and Roman Torchwick were talking, but Sapphire managed to spot a single silhouette – a silhouette belonging to someone he would never forget.

"I'll go scout the area," he said hurriedly, rushing off without waiting for a reply. "You guys stay here."

He would never forget. He could not forget. That was definitely the silhouette of Mercury Black.

* * *

><p>Mercury stretched lazily as he stepped into the night air, feeling the gentle breeze lightly caress his skin. It would have been a better picture if the moon had been visible though, but unfortunately the mischievous clouds got in the way.<p>

He was starting to get bored. It had not even been five minutes since he was here, but Mercury was already starting to feel exhausted. He considered calling Emerald just to annoy her for a bit, but he was too lazy to fish out his phone, too.

A 'click' sound came from somewhere behind him, almost entirely silent. Reacting instinctively, Mercury twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding some sort of projectile as it grazed the side of his arm.

"Looks like you've still got it."

His senses on full alert, Mercury stared at his opponent as he emerged from the shadows of the warehouse behind him. He did not take being sneaked up on well, but the assailant's voice and face caused him to forget that hostility for a moment. Only for it to be replaced by a swelling hatred.

"Looks like you still recognize me," Sapphire taunted, smirking as he rested his hands by his side; Daybreak and Duskfall were already in their crossbow forms. His mask lay forgotten behind him. "How long has it been, Mercury?"

"Way too long, Saph," Mercury replied with a good-natured grin, even though it did nothing to hide his killing intent. "Your fashion sense has changed, I see. But to think you survived... How'd you do it?"

"I ate plenty of vegetables," Sapphire shrugged.

"So now you're here to join the White Fang?" Mercury asked. "Can't stop licking someone's shoes, huh? You still need someone to tell you what to do, like some errand boy?"

"Says the guy who takes orders from scum," Sapphire retorted.

"You honestly think I take orders from that idiot Torchwick?" Mercury asked, slowly moving one foot behind the other. "Please. I'd sooner jump in front of a moving train."

"That could be arranged," Sapphire offered, mirroring Mercury's movements. "But even if Torchwick's not your boss, it doesn't change the fact you're still serving some third-rate scum."

"You know, you never made a good picture," Mercury said, bending his knees a little as he reached for something behind him. "You're too soft, Saph."

A searing pain burned across Mercury's cheek, causing him to duck instantly. A line of scarlet appeared under his left eye, as a momentary flash cut across where his face had been instants before.

"Really?" Sapphire asked, letting go of the wire attached to his first arrow. "Let's test that theory."

"Sure," Mercury said, standing back up. "But not now; this place lacks a good ambiance befitting a proper fight."

"How romantic," Sapphire snarled. "Alas, I don't need good ambiance to make dismembering you any more enjoyable."

Mercury knew that Sapphire wanted to fight right then and there. He wanted to as well, more than anything, but he was on a mission. Cinder's orders were absolute, and they took precedence over anything else. Even this.

"Two weeks from now," he said. His head was hurting a little now for some reason. "At that Schnee woman's performance, we'll duke it out. I'll let you two die a lover's death then. It's gentlemanly of me, right?"

"What performance?" Sapphire asked. Mercury was acting odd; was he under some drug or something?

"Oh, you didn't know?" Mercury panted, trying to control his swaying. "Well, it hasn't been announced, after all. There'll be a performance by Weiss Schnee two weeks from now at the concert hall northeast of Beacon. The plan is to assassinate her there."

He knew that Sapphire had no more allies. He had seen to it that the last dregs of their team vanished in the explosion or from his bullets. Sapphire was alone, but he was also the unknown factor in this plan with his combat prowess. If he had infiltrated this place, he would eventually find out about the plan. With his ability, he could easily put a stop to the assassination. Mercury had to stop that at all costs.

"So at that time, you can choose," Mercury declared. "You can come after me, and let her die, or run around trying to find a means to save her and let me escape. You won't find me outside of today and on the day of the performance, so you'll have no chance to kill me after that. What'll it be?"

"What makes you think I won't kill you right here?" Sapphire asked. "What makes you think I wouldn't go to the authorities with this information, either?"

"Do you really think you can kill me right now?" Mercury fired back, chuckling. The headache had gone away the moment he told himself the mission took priority and abandoned the idea of fighting Sapphire. "You're right in the middle of enemy territory by yourself. You'd have a much better chance at the performance, even though you'd still end up dead."

"What about-" Sapphire began. He could go to Ozpin and-

"You can't trust anyone anymore," Mercury pointed out. "Not after I left that pathetic excuse of a team. Besides, are you really going to risk someone else's life?"

Sapphire froze. Mercury was right; even if he knew of the plan, he could not bear to ask someone else to help him; anyone involved with him would eventually die because of his weakness. He had to do it alone, but he could not choose between killing Mercury and saving Weiss.

He could fight right now, but with his sneak attack failed he had little chances of keeping it discreet. If he blew his cover here, the girls still in the warehouse would be in danger as well. He had only one choice: to let Mercury escape now and fight him two weeks later. But to let Weiss die to accomplish that goal?

He considered getting help, but that would not work; the fact that they had information on the performance before the announcement meant that there was a spy in there somewhere. If they cancelled the event, the White Fang would change their plans and he would have no idea what to do then, not to mention Mercury would escape as well; he was at a disadvantage in terms of information.

He could only believe Mercury's words, and beat them at their own game when the time came.

"I take it you understand what must be done," Mercury said, backing away. "Enjoy your last two weeks, Saph; I'm not as soft as _he_ is."

With that, Mercury disappeared around a corner. Sapphire stood his ground for a few moments, feeling his blood boil at his own incompetence.

He had let Mercury escape. Again.

"Sapphire?"

Sending his weapons back into their block form, Sapphire turned around and saw Blake approaching without her mask. She was holding on to his with her free hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He could have just said it then. He could have just asked her for help. She would definitely have agreed to help him put an end to things. But he did not.

He told himself that it was because she was a former member of the White Fang. He told himself it was because she could not be trusted, but even he did not believe those blatant lies.

"It's nothing," he said, taking the mask from her. "What did they say?"

"Nothing," Blake replied. "Apparently something urgent happened and they just dismissed everyone. It was a waste of time."

Sapphire nodded. Mercury was quick to act as usual.

"I see," he said. "Let's go back then."

"Sapphire?" Blake asked again, as Sapphire put on the mask and returned to the warehouse. "Are you sure everything's alright?"

Even though she could not see his expression, Blake was sure she saw something flash by in his eyes hidden behind the mask. Something resembling sorrow, or perhaps hurt.

"Yeah," Sapphire replied. "I'm fine."

Two weeks. That was the time limit before they would finally bring an end to things. The act had already begun, and the actors were waiting in the wings for their moment on the stage.

He would face Mercury and kill him. He would save Weiss without putting anyone else in danger. That was his obligation as a soldier who had experienced the darkness of the world. That was his duty.

_Let the curtains rise_, he thought with conviction.


	17. 17 - Hesitation

**Welcome to Chapter 17! Enjoy!**

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><p>He was just some other guy. He was one of those folk you would never notice while passing by on the street. He was not someone anybody would bother looking at twice, simply because he was a typical sort of guy.<p>

He wanted to prove them wrong. He wanted to show whoever believed otherwise that he was special. He wanted to show them that he was a 'chosen one' with the power to change the world.

In the end, he just wanted to be seen. He just wanted to be special.

When his previous leader, Dynes, was forced to retire and a new guy came in, he did not pay him much heed. That kid was a rookie who could not even pull off a simple equipment acquiring mission. He had heard rumors the rookie had deliberately went against orders on an extermination mission before that as well. If there was one thing he had to say, it would be that this idiot should not even be a mercenary, much less his partner.

But when that kid Sapphire was chosen to be a tester for the MACB alongside him, he was forced to look at him, maybe even as an equal. When Morris and Anderson decided to be romantic and die a lovers' death together, he saw Sapphire lose it. In the rampage that followed, he felt Sapphire's rage close up as the red-eyed mercenary performed feats he did not even know the MACB was capable of. For the first time, he saw Sapphire as someone other than a rookie, a burden, or an equal.

He saw him for the talented fighter everyone else saw him as. He saw that Sapphire had far more potential than he had. He saw that Sapphire was a 'chosen one', and he was just another guy.

When Sapphire was selected over him to test the new gear, he knew that the higher ups expected more from the new guy than they did from him. As much as he hated that fact, he could not change it.

So he left. He left that place where he could not shine – the place where he was forced to constantly live in another's shadow. He betrayed them, making sure they all died, except Sapphire who would surely be killed by a vastly superior opponent. Maybe then he would know the frustration of being inferior. He sought another place where he could be recognized for his strength. Where someone would make him feel special.

When Cinder offered him the chance, Mercury agreed. She had seen him as a jewel, a person of value, and one of the 'chosen ones' who could change the world with her.

He believed that if it was for her, he would not mind setting the world aflame.

* * *

><p>Weiss stifled a yawn as she played around with her breakfast. The lack of sleep because of last night was one thing, but she had been up through the night for many days beforehand. It was tough just trying to keep her eyes open.<p>

"What's wrong, Blake?" Yang asked, tossing a grape into her mouth. "You look kinda out of it."

"No, I'm fine," Blake replied halfheartedly. "I was just thinking about Sapphire for a bit; after yesterday, he's been acting… odd. It's like he went back to being the Sapphire when he… when he still wanted to kill me."

Weiss said nothing. Yang easily noticed Blake's small changes, and Blake noticed Sapphire's. No one would notice Weiss's fatigue or her stress, but that was only to be expected; the commoners can't hide their troubles, and they wore it on their faces. The elites were the ones who had to hide their weaknesses; all they showed were results.

Despite knowing that, Weiss could not help but feel left out.

"Hey Weiss, you okay?"

She jumped. Before she knew it, Ruby Rose had inserted herself into her vision, obscuring Weiss's view of anything else. Those big, silver eyes were lit with worry.

"I- What are you talking about?" Weiss retorted.

"You look tired," Ruby commented, staring into her eyes. Weiss sometimes wondered if she was doing it on purpose. It irked her greatly, but somehow she could not bring herself to hate it that much. "Did you have a nightmare last night?"

"She didn't get to sleep last night, sis," Yang pointed out. "None of us did."

"I'm just worrying about having to waste another day teaching you simple things, Ruby Rose," Weiss replied, putting on her haughty attitude as she flicked Ruby on the forehead with her index finger, pushing her away. She was grateful, but she would rather die than admit it. "I shudder to think of having to tutor you on the basic of basics again."

"I'm not _that_ bad…" Ruby whined, massaging her forehead.

"I'm going to go get some things," Weiss declared, standing up. "I'll join you guys at class later."

Not waiting for a reply, she walked off in a hurry, leaving behind three very confused roommates.

* * *

><p>Sapphire sat on the ground, lifting a bottle of water over his head. Without caring about his clothes, he tilted the bottle and emptied its contents over his head.<p>

He had been worried that there would not be enough of them around, but the Grimm in the Emerald Forest did not disappoint. He was forced to use his weapons instead of the intended bare-hands only approach after the sixth Beowolf, but he had already realized by then that this training was pointless.

Back in the days of being a mercenary, they were told to hone a lethal 'killing intent'. Rather than being made to lose all emotion and relying entirely on logic and obedience, they were told to make use of their own emotions as well as their enemies'. Many of them succeeded; with even a modicum of negative emotion like fear, hate or sorrow, they could summon a wave of focused killing intent directed at the source, providing the driving force to utterly decimate their foes. Needless to say, it improved their combat abilities significantly.

Sapphire, however, never got the hang of it. Instead, he tried making up for that by remaining callous and following through missions with nothing but cold, hard logic. Sure, it was nowhere as powerful a force as killing intent, but it got the job done. Whenever he could bring himself to actually do it, that is.

When he saw Mercury at the warehouse, he saw clearly that his former partner had not lost it; he could bring out his unclouded killing intent at a moment's notice. In order to take him on as someone who has walked the same path through the shadows, Sapphire had to be able to bring out his own killing intent.

Killing Grimm was nothing. It did absolutely nothing for him, much less bringing out the killer inside him. He had pulled it off so easily when he was nine, and when Tyler and Amelia died. Now, he could barely feel an inkling of it in himself, as though it had never existed.

He did not have the resolve Blake displayed in their fight. He could not turn resolve into a driving force. If he were to battle Mercury right now without the undivided intention to kill him, Sapphire would just be taken out. He needed something – anything – to light that flame.

_You're not a monster._

Those words returned to haunt him. They echoed endlessly, trying to pull him away from the shadows.

_Thank you for saving us back then._

Why was he relieved to hear those words? And why was it he could not easily toss them away?

He did not have time left. He had to kill Mercury, and Adam Taurus after that. He did not have the luxury to wallow in indecision, and he could not continue being weak. He had to do something.

But nothing would come to mind.

* * *

><p>"Where on Remnant have you been?" Weiss asked impatiently, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't you know you should never keep a lady waiting?"<p>

"I thought ladies always arrived late so they didn't have to wait," Sapphire replied indifferently, closing the door to the dorm room. "It's your fault for being early. Why the sudden meeting, Schnee?"

Weiss glared at him.

"Weiss," he corrected hastily.

"Good. I called you guys here because I have an announcement to make," Weiss said, addressing the team. Ruby looked up from her textbook gratefully, glad that there was an excuse to not read its sleep-inducing words. "I wanted to invite you guys to this event."

She passed around a bunch of flyers, and when one reached Sapphire his eyes widened.

"The Schnee Dust Company will be holding a celebration in commemoration of our latest business venture," Weiss announced proudly. "And you're all cordially invited to it, with VIP seats!"

Sapphire had expected this to an extent. It certainly beat having to sneak past the security if he was invited.

"Here're your invitations," Weiss said, passing them along one by one. "They look blank now, but when you activate the Dust in it with your Aura it'll make the name appear, and then no one else will be able to use it."

_This oughta be good,_ Sapphire thought, noting the queer expression on Weiss's face as she passed him his. He was not disappointed when he saw the faint light blue words slowly appearing on the card. _I guess she was convinced by the commander._

**This invitation is to certify that the following guest has been formally invited as an honored guest to attend the celebration:**

**JACKASS FALL**

_Glad to see you haven't forgotten me,_ he thought.

"Do you have some sort of history with my sister?" Weiss asked. "She made this strange face when I asked her to invite you."

"She and I were business partners," Sapphire said, telling himself that it was mostly true; he just did not pay for the goods. "Anyway, what's going to happen at the event?"

"Well, there's going to be a concert," Weiss revealed, still looking quite skeptical. "After that, it's more of a ball and a dinner reception."

"And you're performing?" Sapphire guessed.

"How did you-" Weiss began, but recovered quickly from her surprise; she was going to tell them anyway. "Yes. I'll be singing in the concert segment."

"Wow, Weiss!" Yang exclaimed. "That's great, isn't it? It's a prime opportunity to show off your skills!"

"I didn't know you could sing, Weiss!" Ruby said. "Sing something for us!"

"No," Weiss shot her down sharply. "You're going to have to wait for the concert, and not a moment sooner."

"This looks really expensive, Weiss," Blake said, looking at her card while Ruby pouted. "This must be a really grand event. Are you sure it's alright for us to go?"

"I'm performing, so it's only fair I get to invite some of my friends, right?" Weiss asked. "There's no way I'm going to just settle for some normal seats, either. I'm also inviting Team JNPR and Ne-"

She paused, going slightly red in the face. Clearing her throat, she continued.

"A-anyway," she said. "I'm going to pass them their invites, so I'll be leaving now."

"Have a nice trip~" Yang said, waving her off. "And say hi to Neptune for us!"

Sapphire watched her leave, and continued staring even after the door closed.

So Mercury was not lying about the event. That meant they really did have a plan to kill her. He was somewhat glad that he really would get the chance to face him, but along with that expectation was a pang of guilt.

If he decided to go after Mercury, that meant letting Weiss die.

"But man," Yang said. "Weiss sure has it rough."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, worry evident on her face. "She's going to overwork herself if she has to practice while juggling her studies."

"Maybe you should try to worry her less, Ruby," Blake suggested. "It'll at least be a load off her back."

Sapphire watched the conversation without joining in, lost in thought. He had considered, and was still considering, asking them for help. He had personally seen Blake and Ruby in action, and Yang did not seem like a bad fighter either. They would be dependable as allies against things like Grimm, but in an actual battle with other people – especially trained mercenaries like Mercury – would they still be able to hold their own?

The scars on his back – the proof of his mistakes – tingled. Shaking his head, he left the room without anyone noticing.

* * *

><p>Sapphire swore under his breath as he hung up. He had cut off the doctor in the middle of his rant, but he did not care.<p>

Patrick had suffered severe migraines and fainted after yesterday's infiltration, apparently caused by the usage of his Semblance to alter the memories of the White Fang guards so he could replace them. The doctor was able to stabilize his condition, but he would not be waking up for a while. He was never to use his Semblance again – a fact that the doctor tried to drill into Sapphire's head.

He could not expect help from Patrick. Now that he had to give up on his last hope, Sapphire could only rely on himself, and by extension Combat Mode if he could not manage to harness his killing intent by then. If push came to shove, he would even use-

No. Genocide Mode would bring down the entire concert hall within seconds. Weiss and Mercury would not be the only people dead because of him. But even if he did manage to defeat Mercury, what was the point? There was no way to justify knowingly letting someone die; that would be equivalent to killing her with his own hands.

"What do I do?" he asked, letting the words scatter into the wind.

* * *

><p>He was standing in a pool of blood. That was what it appeared to be at first, but as he stared at his own reflection across the dark red liquid, Sapphire realized that he was standing on an ocean of it.<p>

The world had no end. The skies, tainted with an everlasting black, stretched without boundaries to meet the scarlet sea at edges his eyes could not see beyond. No matter where he cast his eyes, no matter where he ran, nothing changed. All he could hear were splashing sounds as his feet carried him across the blood, leaving countless ripples across the horrid landscape.

Then he heard a sound. It was a voice, small and weak as it barely crept its way into his ear. He spun around, expecting to see someone – anyone – there with him, glad that he was not the only person in this nightmare. But what he saw granted him no comfort.

Several faces, all pale with shock and pain, stared back at him with lifeless eyes that held his gaze. Their bodies were sinking, slowly but surely, into the deep red abyss that awaited them below, but they did not care; they just simply stared at him, unwilling to avert their gaze.

He recognized those faces. He had seen each and every one of them with his own eyes, and had fought with them side by side with his own body. He had heard their voices with his own ears, and spoke to them with his own voice.

And in the end, he had lost all of them, letting them down with his weakness.

A soft splash resounded as a black shoe stepped onto the ocean surface, sending violent ripples across the blood. As the figure emerged from the shadows, the corpses at her feet began to move, stretching out their hands towards Sapphire who was now paralyzed with fear.

"You couldn't kill me," Blake Belladonna said softly, her voice thundering in his eardrums. In her hands were the blade and sheath of her weapon Gambol Shroud, soaked and dripping with blood that was pouring back into the sea beneath her. "You couldn't avenge them."

Letting go of her weapon, the Faunus knelt down and plunged her hands into the ocean of blood. As she slowly got to her feet, she was carrying something covered with the blazing red liquid in her arms.

"And now…" she said, her eyes covered by her long, flowing hair.

As the blood slid off the object in her arms, Sapphire gasped. What Blake had just pulled out of the blood was not an object, but a person. A girl dressed in white, with long white hair tied into ponytail at the side of her head. He watched desperately, as though hoping that she would open her eyes, but no matter how long he stared, the corpse did not move.

He forced his eyes away from the body. He had to explain, to reason with Blake, to tell her that he had no intention of letting Weiss die, but she was no longer there; at some point in time, Weiss had been laying in the arms of a man instead – a man with silver grey hair and dark grey eyes.

"… You couldn't even protect one girl," Mercury finished. "You let her die, all so you could fight with me."

Sapphire fell. His feet sank swiftly into the blood with an unnatural force, as though something was pulling him under. He could feel something clamped around his legs, his waist, his shoulders, his neck, as they continued to drag him deeper.

Opening his mouth and swallowing the blood that came gushing in, Sapphire screamed.

* * *

><p>He jerked awake, panting and gasping violently as his palpitations skyrocketed. His whole body was shaking badly, and a scream died in his throat before he could let it out.<p>

The darkness of night obscured his vision, but a small glimmer of moonlight managed to dimly illuminate the room. He could faintly make out the crease marks on his blanket, and the stains from his perspiration as they trickled down his face.

"Sapphire?" a soft voice whispered. It was his sister.

As she knelt down next to him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder to calm him down, Sapphire reached for the side of her nightgown and held onto it tightly. He did not want to let go, and he did not want her to leave.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worry evident in her voice. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Silently, he nodded. He felt like throwing up, and he was sure a wave of tears was dangerously close to escaping his eyes, but he clenched his fists and forced everything back. He could not be weak. Not now.

"It's okay," his sister assured him, holding him close. "It's okay. It's just a dream. It's over now."

Sapphire did not reply as he buried his face in his sister's chest, still fighting back against the tears.

"They won't go away, sis," he choked out. "They just won't go away…"

He vaguely wondered why his sister sounded different, and why she smelled different. But there was no denying the warmth in her actions, and the reassurance in her voice.

They stayed like that for a few moments, before Sapphire finally pulled himself away, wiping his eyes to get rid of the last traces of tears.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied slowly. "Thanks, sis-"

When he looked up, Sapphire froze. The person in front of him, the person he had been holding onto, was not his sister. He was surely back in reality now, so she was not a figment of his imagination or a fragment of his nightmare, either.

It was Blake.

"B-Belladonna?" he panted, starting to recall his actions. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"Shh," Blake put a finger to her lips. "The others are still sleeping."

Managing a hasty nod, Sapphire stopped talking and leaned against the wall. His eyes, which had been two glaring circles of red, slowly faded back to blue as he cursed and cursed and cursed himself in his head.

"What did you dream of?" Blake asked gingerly.

"It's nothing," Sapphire replied, keeping his volume as low as possible. "Don't worry about it."

He could not have fooled even a kid with that outright lie. Blake continued to stare at him for a few moments, searching his eyes for some sort of clue.

"Come with me," she said, reaching for his hand and pulling him to his feet.

Without waiting for a reply, she led him out of the room.


	18. 18 - Mistakes

**Sorry for a later update than usual; fell ill and couldn't write this chapter. Also heard that slowing down the rate of updates may leave more breathing space for readers, so future chapters from here may no longer be one per day…**

**Enjoy chapter 18!**

* * *

><p>She had become used to cheers. She had gotten sick of praise. She had not put in so much effort just to hear some empty words. She had not pushed herself just so people could shower her with flattery and a cacophony of applause that served as nothing more than a reminder that they were unable to do what she was capable of.<p>

She once believed that those words were a sign of recognition towards her ability. She once thought that they were a testament that her efforts had borne fruit. But that all changed when her family entered the picture.

To them, what she did was only natural. It was only fitting for her to be capable of all those feats, for she was a Schnee. All that effort, all that hard work – they served no purpose other than to put her at a level above the talentless, and meet the expectations of her family of elites; she was not great, and she was not spectacular – she was merely 'acceptable'. It was a fact, and one that she would never shake no matter how hard she tried.

When she began harboring jealousy towards those who were better, the cheers had become nothing more than jeers and glaring insults.

All she could do was merely struggle helplessly in places that did not matter, precisely because it did not matter to anyone besides her. After all, who would care if she had chosen her hairstyle just to contrast her dress's design?

Hard work did not lead to success. All it ever did was to provide her with satisfactory results. She may have been amazing to the common folk, but she was merely average at best among the elites. To make matters worse, there were those among the common people who were better than she was by far. If the common folk had seen them, they would surely treat Weiss as nothing more than a disappointment.

In order to not disappoint her family, her name, she worked harder than anyone, and suffered more than anyone just to barely remain where she was. Putting in colossal amounts of effort for everything was simply a natural thing for her to do, because she was only mediocre.

To Weiss Schnee, borrowing help from others was a sign of weakness. She had the pride of a Schnee – the curse of having to be above the rest – and so she could not depend on others. She had expectations to meet, and throughout her life she had always handled them alone. Now was no different.

Normal people could deal with and even entertain the thought of failure. Regular folk could settle for something short of the best. Mediocre individuals could accept help from others to succeed. But the elite strived alone. The elite always succeed and never fail, for when they do, their mistakes would last forever.

Touching the scar across her left eye gingerly, Weiss began to sing.

* * *

><p>There were many things one could learn from being a mercenary. In order to ensure that they could handle any mission, they had to pick up a myriad of skills. One of them was being able to speak and write in other languages. That also meant that idiots like Luke would go around learning how to swear in said languages first, before passing that much needed knowledge around. Sapphire had not been particularly thankful for those lessons, but he knew when they were useful. Like now, for instance.<p>

Exploiting the needlessly colorful vocabulary at his disposal, Sapphire admonished himself in his head for being so stupid as he followed Blake across the darkened hallways. She had to slow down for him because the night was quiet, and the usually negligible sounds that Lifesaver made with each running step became a problem, but they managed to progress quickly regardless.

"Where're we going?" Sapphire asked as they snuck into the main building where the classrooms were. "If you want to beat me up, there's always-"

"It's just a little further," Blake whispered. "Come on."

She led him further into the building, and finally stopped outside one of the classrooms. Sapphire never attended classes or lectures, so he failed to notice what was special about that particular one.

"Look, if it's an apology that-" he began, but before Blake could shut him up a distant song cut across him.

That voice sounded familiar, but only somewhat. Sapphire instinctively knew that it was someone he was acquainted with that was singing, but he could not put his finger on the identity. He stood there for a few seconds, wondering why that was so; if it was someone with such a distinctive, refined voice, how could he have forgotten who it belonged to?

The singing was elegant despite being muffled by the hard wood of the door, and while the words were not clear, the emotions behind the lyrics were clearly expressed. Momentarily forgetting about the awkward situation in the dorm room merely minutes ago, Sapphire approached the source of that song.

Peeking through the slightest of openings offered by the doors, Sapphire was greeted by the sight of an almost empty classroom. The rows of empty seats and tables were illuminated by a gentle, pale blue glow as the source – a shimmering florescent orb – rested by the feet of a beautiful girl on the platform where the lecturer would usually stand.

Eyes closed, Weiss Schnee stood confidently as she let her singing fill the space. The soft glow from her orb painted the walls with a tranquil shade, giving off a mystical vibe. If Sapphire had been a child, he might have even thought she was a fairy, standing on the magical lake where her pure figure resided.

Her voice was firm, confident and powerful. It was not as captivating as his sister's, but it had a different charm of its own. It offered not reassurance, but instead tugged at Sapphire's heartstrings in a way Cinder's voice could not. It did, however, remind him of something very familiar.

Sorrow and solitude. Even though Weiss was singing a song with cheerful lyrics, Sapphire felt nothing but a crushing throb in his chest. His feelings were almost completely under control by now, but the white-haired girl's song was coaxing them back out into the open. Towards the Ice Queen standing in front of an empty lecture hall, Sapphire felt a strange similarity between them that made his control slip.

"She's been like this for a while now," Blake said, leaning against the wall as she listened. "On most days she would just be up studying, but recently she's been coming here to practice."

"How did you know-" Sapphire began, before stopping short when he looked at Blake and her cat ears. "Oh. She must not have been very subtle."

"She tries," Blake defends. "I'm just sensitive to most sounds. Like the groans of a guy having a nightmare, for instance."

"What's your purpose for bringing me here?" Sapphire asked, turning away from the door and sitting down on the ground. "You want me to go in there and sing a duet?"

"I wanted to show you that we're always watching," Blake replied seriously. "I know it's not easy for you to place all your trust in us yet, but we're a team and-"

"No," Sapphire said. "Stop. Please. No cheesy bull-"

"You're not alone," Blake continued. "And even if you feel the need to handle everything by yourself, I just wanted you to know that there are people who can tell you're suffering. We may keep quiet, but don't think that we don't know anything. As Ruby would say, 'friends look out for each other'."

"Just like how you're watching over her?" Sapphire asked, pointing a thumb towards the room behind him, where Weiss continued to rehearse tirelessly. "Feels like stalking to me."

"Yes," Blake answered seriously, nodding. "We've been watching over her for all time, even though sometimes it's just me who's awake. We know what Weiss is like, so we kept it quiet. She works hard where people can see, but when no one is looking she works even harder. That's the side of her she's unwilling to let anyone else know about. Until she's ready to lean on us, we'll keep supporting her in spirit. That goes for you, too."

Sapphire shook his head derisively and did not reply. He could not explain the strange spark of happiness in him that was ignited by her words, but he snuffed it out immediately before understanding why. He had wanted this: he had wanted people he could call 'friends', but in a mercenary's life, such ties were unnecessary. Those who made the mistake of forming them would eventually find themselves drowning in despair when everyone else died around them. Such was their fate.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I can pretend that tonight never happened," Blake offered. "But just so it's out there, I'm willing to listen if you're ever in the mood to talk."

He did not have to fight alone. He did not have to worry alone. He, like Weiss, had tried to shoulder everything by themselves to avoid worrying others, but in the process of doing so they had forgotten. They forgot that the very people they did not want to worry also did not want to see them suffer either, much less alone.

But even though Sapphire realized that, he still hesitated.

"I'm just uneasy," he lied. "You know how I… act differently in public? I'm just… worried that I'm getting soft."

It was not entirely a lie. Everyone surely knew about his joke of a façade, especially after the fight with Blake, but Sapphire decided to keep it anyway; in front of children, there was no need to maintain a soldier's face after all. He helped them occasionally, he joined in on their pointless conversations, and he tolerated their nonsensical antics instead of just keeping quiet and snapping at anyone who came near. He had thought that it was the best way to blend in, but he could not shake the remote possibility that he had simply wanted to interact with people all along, instead of being the joyless jerk that he was.

"Maybe that's just who you were before you became a mercenary," Blake suggested. "Maybe that's just who you're meant to be."

"Maybe," Sapphire conceded. He was pretty sure he managed to fool Blake with that lie, because he was starting to believe it too; his level of chattiness right now was starting to worry him. Maybe he should have just kept quiet throughout the entire conversation after all.

"Why not just be honest with yourself?" Blake asked. "It'll make your life a lot easier as well. I know a friend of mine who would tell you the same thing."

He knew that. Sapphire was well aware that if he discarded that pointless mask, he would not have to bother with acting in front of people. He would be able to interact with people as Sapphire Fall, not as a mercenary. But he knew himself well enough that if he ever did that, he would become emotionally attached to the people he would eventually call 'friends'. If he did that, he would ultimately be broken again, standing in a pool of blood that was not his.

"Well, shall we head back?" Blake asked. "It's getting a little cold."

"Might as well," Sapphire replied, getting to his feet. "Thanks for, um, listening."

"It's refreshing to hear about something other than killing me from you," Blake said, smiling. "So it's alright."

As he followed the Faunus back to the dorms, Sapphire considered her words. With a fleeting glance towards the direction of the classrooms, he thought about the girl whose singing was eloquent in its solitude above all else. He did not give up the idea of killing Mercury, but Blake's words made him even more unwilling to give up on saving Weiss.

It was clear, even to a bystander like Sapphire, that Weiss was a precious friend to the other girls of Team RWBY. It was unnecessarily obvious to Sapphire what they would feel if Weiss were to die at the hands of the White Fang. It was not that Sapphire did not understand the importance of teamwork, but upon hearing Blake's words, he had been forcefully reminded of its necessity.

He could either fight Mercury and let Weiss die, or save her and let Mercury escape. It was not a battle he could win alone. No matter how he saw it, the former mercenary could not think of another solution.

_It's time to bring in backup,_ he thought resolutely.

* * *

><p>He did not have to wait for long before the door opened. He knew that at this time, Team RWBY was at class and <em>they<em> were in their room. He knew that this was the only time to ask.

"Oh, heya Saph," Jaune greeted. "Er… You don't mind if I call you that, right?"

"Anything goes," Sapphire replied. "Listen, Arc. Did your team get an invitation from Sch- Weiss to go to some celebration concert thing?"

"Yeah, we all did," Jaune answered in a somewhat disappointed manner. "She said she meant to invite Pyrrha only but the rest of us could tag along if we wanted to."

"Is the entire team in there?" Sapphire asked, his tone becoming tenser.

"Yeah, they're here," Jaune replied, looking a little perplexed. "What's up?"

Sapphire paused. Was he really prepared to make the same mistake again? Was he ready to let other people put their lives on the line because of his weakness?

"There's something I need Team JNPR's help with," He said at last. "I need you to help me save Weiss's life."


	19. 19 - Scars

**Welcome to Chapter 19. If the mood seems way too lighthearted right now, I'd like to say that yes this is a more lighthearted arc. Partially because of the way I wanted to settle Weiss's arc and partially because the next arc is more serious throughout. I hope you bear with me.**

**And without further ado…**

* * *

><p>"So Roman intends to assassinate Weiss Schnee at the concert," Cinder mused, resting her chin on her palm as she looked out the window. "Such a simpleton."<p>

"At least he has a plan to get the sniper into the concert hall," Emerald shrugged. "Can't say that ignoring Schnee's friends is a good move, though."

"We'll need a distraction," Cinder thought aloud. "What do you think, Mercury?"

"Huh?" Mercury asked, removing his earphones. "Sorry, wasn't paying attention."

"We're discussing something important and you're listening to music?" Emerald asked incredulously. "You sure take it easy."

"Stress is bad for your skin," Mercury said slyly, enjoying Emerald's scowl. He turned to Cinder. "If it's alright, I want to be added to the team for that mission."

Cinder looked at Mercury, her eyes slightly wide with surprise and, possibly, amusement. Emerald raised an eyebrow.

"Why the sudden interest?" Cinder asked.

"I hate waiting," Mercury replied. "I've always been an action sort of guy, y'know? Besides, if it comes down to a fight, you need a guy with the skills, right?"

"… Very well," Cinder consented after some thinking. "Watch your back, Mercury; we don't have to put so much effort into Roman's plan. I already have the backup in motion."

"Yeah, got it," Mercury replied. He put in some effort to conceal his smirk as he stuffed the earphones back into his ear again, listening intently.

"… _our help?" _Jaune Arc's voice reached his ears, albeit a little unclear. He had not expected the bug he planted on Nikos during their fight to be effective this early, but listening in on their conversations today had yielded some unexpected results._ "And what's this about saving Weiss's life?"_

"_Let's discuss this inside,"_ Sapphire's voice spoke up. Mercury had not expected him to be at Beacon, but it was certainly a stroke of good luck for him that he was. Even though he had gone beyond expectations and sought the help of other people, knowing of that fact made Mercury one step ahead of his former partner.

_Thanks for improving my chances, Saph,_ he thought.

* * *

><p>The members of team JNPR sat on their respective beds, each wearing a solemn expression. Even Nora could not find a reason to look happy right now. Sapphire stood leaning against the door, giving them the time to absorb what he had just said.<p>

"Are you certain?" Pyrrha asked. "Is the White Fang really going to try and kill Weiss at the event?"

"Regardless of who's pulling the strings, the perpetrators will be the White Fang," Sapphire replied. "What I don't know is how they intend to go about doing it. That's why I need you guys to help me guard the concert hall on that day."

"This is kind of unexpected," Pyrrha said. "Sorry if I sound insensitive, but you didn't seem like the type to ask others for help. Is something the matter?"

Sapphire did not reply immediately. Pyrrha's comment made him realize that it really was unlike him to approach them like this, but he had already chosen to walk down this path. There was no going back now.

"I'm well aware of my own limits," he offered. "Anyway, as I was saying, I need you guys to help me with thwarting their plan."

"Won't there be security around on the day itself?" Jaune asked. "Wouldn't it be fine to leave it to them?"

"I don't trust the security," Sapphire said. "If they're capable of pulling something like this off, they'll surely have a way to bypass security without problem. If they even have one accomplice or spy inside, then the entire security detail becomes useless. That's why we'll operate outside of anyone's knowledge, on the same grounds as them."

"But we don't know the security details," Pyrrha pointed out.

"Doesn't matter," Sapphire answered. "They don't know about us. We know their target is Weiss, so they'll have to go to the one auditorium inside the concert hall where she'll be performing at, or be at the dinner reception. If we keep an eye on the only places they must go to, it'll be easier to intercept."

"What do you have in mind?" Ren asked.

"I need someone at a different place throughout the event," Sapphire elaborated. "One person to watch over the entire dinner reception hall and monitor all the food that comes in to check for poison, one person to be outside the auditorium to check if anyone enters at weird timings or if the guards are behaving strangely, and two people to help patrol the entire area to look for hidden reinforcements or explosives in case they intend to up the scale of the attack."

"What about inside the auditorium?" Nora asked. Sapphire paused for a moment upon realizing that she was actually being serious for once.

"Team RWBY's been invited," he replied. "Blake's got night vision, and they're in the VIP seats like you guys. That means they're seated on the balcony above the average crowd, giving them a good vantage point. They'll know if anyone inside the auditorium is pulling any stunts. Besides, every individual guest has been invited individually, so they won't be able to sneak an assailant in amongst them with the special features of the invites around; they'll have to bring them in via infiltrating security, staff or someone who can gain access without an invitation. That's why our objective is to prevent them from ever entering the auditorium where Weiss will be, not sniffing him out from the crowd."

* * *

><p>Mercury smiled. It went to show just how badly planned Torchwick's plan was; he had already smuggled some White Fang goons into the concert hall, and on the actual day he planned to bring in more via disguising them as cleaning staff or security. Without Sapphire being informed, the plan might have worked, if not for the presence of this 'Blake' that he mentioned. Torchwick and the White Fang would never have bothered to think that far to consider that a Faunus would be invited to the event, given how the Schnee Dust Company was not on particularly friendly terms with the Faunus species.<p>

While that lack of foresight should have been their downfall, Roman's plan was not entirely foiled. As a matter of fact, Sapphire's idea had given Mercury the perfect means of ensuring the plan would work.

Instead of sneaking in, Sapphire had intended to use the invites they had to formally enter before dispersing to their respective positions. They were going to enter the concert hall, but not the actual auditorium. Furthermore, Team JNPR's private balcony was located directly behind Team RWBY's. Sapphire's plan had one fatal flaw, and Mercury knew just how to exploit it.

_Still as careless as ever,_ he mused.

Cinder had said that there was no need to try too hard, but Mercury could not let this chance go. This was his chance to best Sapphire and prove that both in planning and combat, he was the superior one.

* * *

><p>"… And that pretty much sums it up," Sapphire concluded. "Are you guys in?"<p>

"I'm all for it," Pyrrha replied. "I can't just sit around while Weiss is in danger. Right, Jaune?"

"Agreed," Jaune stood up. "Weiss is friend of ours, and we won't just twiddle our thumbs if she needs help. I'm in."

He turns to his team. Sapphire thought he would be telling them all to go, but the words that emerged from the blonde's mouth surprised him.

"But if I have to be honest, I'd say I rather you guys don't go," he said. "I want to help protect Weiss, but I don't want you guys to get hurt either."

"Jaune-" Pyrrha began.

"I know, Pyrrha," he assured her. "That's why I'm asking you guys as a teammate if you're willing to come with me to help Saph. I don't want you guys to endanger yourselves, but if that's your decision I won't stop you."

"Don't be so awkward, Jaune!" Pyrrha said happily, thumping him on the back. "Of course we'd stand with you!"

"I'm in~" Nora replied cheerfully.

"I agree," Ren adds. "But I don't want Nora to participate."

The room went quiet for a few minutes. Everyone turned to look at Ren, with Sapphire being the only person who was not extremely surprised.

"What?" Nora exclaimed, her expression alternating between hurt and surprise. "Why?"

"This isn't like riding an Ursa, Nora," Ren explained calmly. "These are actual extremists we're talking about. There's too much danger that you'll be exposed to."

"But Ren, I can handle myself!" Nora whined. "Sapphy needs help, so why can't I help?"

"Fighting against the White Fang is far more dangerous," Ren reasoned. "You could lose your life, Nora."

"This could take a while," Pyrrha muttered, walking up to Sapphire. "We'll tell Weiss we've got something else on that day and can't make it. When we can confirm Nora's participation, we'll let you know, okay?"

"I got it," Sapphire nodded, turning to leave. "Thanks."

Closing the door behind him, he made his exit before he heard the shouting start.

* * *

><p><em>I've gone and done it.<em>

Heaving a heavy sigh, Sapphire shook his head, sorting out his thoughts as he leaned against the wall.

He had actually gone and asked Team JNPR for help. Despite all his mistakes in the past, and all the pain he endured, he still ended up giving in to his weakness and depending on someone else. Now, all he could do was to pray that it all ends well.

Ren's refusal to let Nora join in on the plan was understandable. As youths experiencing the phenomenon called 'love' – or as Sapphire saw it, mere infatuation – to want to protect their significant other was a common thing to do. He was actually more surprised at Jaune' and Pyrrha's lack of concern for each other in agreeing.

While wondering what his next move would be if Nora had to turn him down, Sapphire turned and headed for the stairs. While considering asking Blake's monkey boyfriend, a familiar figure walked into his view.

"Schnee?" He called out. Had he spent that much time talking to Team JNPR?

"I thought I told you to call me Wei-ai-ai-eiss," Weiss grumbled, unsuccessfully stifling a yawn. Even with her evident fatigue her words still had that undeniable bite.

It was usually at times like this that Sapphire would make a snide remark, but he refrained. After the serious talk earlier, he had not yet the time to put on his façade. Instead, he reached into his pockets and produced a plastic case.

"Here," he said, offering it to her. "Take it."

"What is it?" Weiss asked dubiously.

"Pills," Sapphire replied. "It'll give you enough energy to stay awake for about twelve hours, depending on your body's resistance to foreign substances."

"You sound like a salesman," Weiss muttered. "Where'd you get this?"

"I was formerly a mercenary," Sapphire reminded her. "We have to stay up for days or weeks on end for certain missions and willpower isn't enough sometimes. Don't worry, it's not illegal or anything."

"Well, okay," Weiss said hesitantly, taking it. "Thanks, I guess."

"I know I probably shouldn't be saying this," Sapphire said. "But you should watch your health. You look a zombie."

"I'm fine," Weiss snapped, heading towards the room. "I know what I'm doing."

"Clearly not," Sapphire observed, as Weiss stumbled while walking on flat ground. "I recognize fatigue when I see it, snowflake."

"Shut up," Weiss growled, opening the door and stepping into the room. Sighing, Sapphire followed her. His troubles were never ending.

"You're not going to perform well if you wear yourself out now, you know," Sapphire pointed out, leaning against the door. "I'm sure you didn't give us the VIP seats to watch some third-rate singing."

"It'll be flawless," Weiss said, picking up some books and attempting to exit the room. "Get out of my way."

"In a moment," Sapphire replied. "I don't think it's fair for me to be lectured alone, so I'm gonna do some of my own now."

"What're you talking about?" Weiss asked, her frustration matched only by her confusion.

"You're exhausted," Sapphire stated. "You need some rest. By the look on your face I wager you won't even be able to manage ten steps after leaving this room."

"I don't have time for this," Weiss said, attempting to push him away, but to no avail. "Now move. I have classes to attend."

"I could get the rest of the team to wrestle you to bed," Sapphire suggested. "I've seen what fatigue can do to people. Resting for one day won't kill you. You're-"

"Shut up!" Weiss screeched. The lack of sleep was clearly taking its toll on her mental health. "Stop telling me to rest or what to do! You have no idea what kind of expectations I have to live up to! Do you really think I have the luxury of slacking off?!"

"Yeah, I don't," Sapphire admitted. He had expected her to snap at him, granted he had anticipated it to come a lot later. "I give you that, but there's nothing worth destroying yourself for. I may not be the best example, but I'm telling you that if you keep pushing yourself you'll never truly excel at what you do."

"So you're telling me to stop trying?!" Weiss fired back. "Do you have any idea how important this is?! I can't afford a single mistake! If I don't spend every available second practicing-"

"Improvise," Sapphire suggested. "That's part and parcel of performing, isn't it? If you mess up, you improvise. Besides, it'll be a bigger mistake to not know when your body needs a break."

"You don't get it, do you?!" Weiss roared. "People like me can't afford to make mistakes! If we ever make a single mistake, there'll be no recovering from it! You can't just improvise from something like that!"

Sapphire held back his words. Weiss probably could not hear anything he said right now anyway.

"Do you see this?!" Weiss continued, pushing aside her hair a little and pointing at the scar across her left eye. "This is what happens when the elite mess up! This is what happens when we make a mistake! It just stays forever and… and…"

She paused, catching her breath as she supported herself with one hand against the wall.

"So you see them as an ugly reminder," Sapphire muttered. He paused for a few moments. "Hey, I'm gonna flash you for a while, so don't scream."

"Wha-" Weiss began, but Sapphire had already turned around and was removing his shirt. "Wait, what are-"

She gasped. In front of her, on Sapphire's bare back, were two long, wide scars that looked like they were driven deep into his body. There was no need to even imagine how they must have hurt when the wounds were first made; the amount of blood loss was frightening to think about as well.

"These are marks of my mistakes," Sapphire said, not turning around. "Makes yours look small in comparison, yeah? I got this for disobeying the higher ups and disrupting a mission by fighting with my teammates. I still remember the details: they whipped me with a chain that had Dust on it, and after the second lash my Semblance forcefully activated and strengthened my body. That's why only two scars are visible now."

"Why?" Weiss whispered. "You were a mercenary, right? You just take orders for money, so why did you…?"

"I wonder," Sapphire sighed. "Like you, I knew what was expected of me but I made a decision knowing that it would be a mistake. I knew what I had to do, but in the end I chose what I believed was right.

"I was supposed to massacre a village of Faunus and humans," he went on. "I eavesdropped on the meeting between the client and the higher-ups beforehand, and found that it was simply so that the guy could reclaim that land and use it for some stupid construction. During the mission debrief, we were told the village was a nest of White Fang scum, and I was the only one who knew it was a lie. I started having second thoughts, and in the end I went against orders and saved some of them. I never really thought about it after that, because I've made plenty of other mistakes along the way. But when I spoke to Scarlatina, I was glad for that mistake."

Weiss's eyes widened in surprise.

"She was one of the people I saved that day," Sapphire said. "She even thanked me for it. Her gratitude made me think about that decision. Sure, it was a mistake, but it didn't mean I was wrong."

Putting on his shirt, Sapphire turned back to face Weiss, who now wore a frightened expression on her face.

"A mistake is only something that's wrong in the eyes of other people," he said. "I was a mercenary, but I went against my orders; that's a mistake no doubt, but I no longer have any doubt that it was the right thing to do. Sure, it may be a mistake for you to not push yourself to beyond your limits, but I don't think that's the wrong thing to do, Weiss."

"But…" Weiss tried racking her brain for the right words, but nothing came out.

"Mistakes are marks to show that we're able to make our own decisions," Sapphire said. "It shows that we are capable of doing something that deviates from what others deem as 'right'. If you spend your life living by other people's standards, you'll never be yourself. Your scar is proof that you are you, and not simply a Schnee or an image. Look into yourself, and look at yourself, snowflake. You know what's right. Decide it yourself for once."

He waited her out, letting the silence fill in the gap in the meantime. He knew that she would normally be able to counter everything he said, but in her current state she could hardly even object anymore. Eventually, Weiss broke eye contact and sighed, walking over to her bed and sitting down.

"I thought you weren't a fan of cheesy stuff," she said at last.

"Only when I'm the one listening to them," Sapphire mumbled under his breath.

"I know what I'm doing," Weiss reassured him. "I was just a little agitated because I thought you… were going to make me stop practicing entirely and go join in their crazy everyday stunts instead or something."

"If I did, you'd kill me," Sapphire shrugged. That was a terrible excuse; he had clearly said 'one day' after all. However, considering how tired she was, he let it slide. "Then your sister would revive me and kill me again. Rinse and repeat. Now that I think about it, at least she'd be happy that way."

"I thought you were a solemn guy," Weiss admitted, lying down on her bed. "But you turned out to be a worrywart like Ruby."

Sapphire froze. Why was he acting so friendly when he was not putting on a façade? And why was it so natural to him?

"I gotta be the gentleman every now and then," he said hastily. "I don't always ignore my manners, remember?"

"Say," Weiss mentioned, her eyelids starting to grow heavy. "Those pills… you gave me…"

"Yeah," Sapphire admitted. "They were sleeping pills. They help me sleep when I get nightmares."

"I see…" Weiss muttered, before giving in to the temptation of sleep and shutting her eyes.

"Right, problem solved," Sapphire said to himself, turning around and leaving the room.

He did not have the time to rest. Despite everything he said, he had no intention of following any of those words himself. He was fine with pushing himself, with destroying himself, but he could not let someone else share that fate.

He was already dying. Pushing himself now did not matter. He had someone he had to kill, and someone he had to save. He did not have any reason or need to stop and rest.

Eyes blazing red, Sapphire headed for the Emerald Forest once more.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Wanted a little bit of interaction between Weiss and Sapphire here, before the actual exploring of Weiss's character comes in. I try not to make these moments drag way too long, but I hope they aren't too short either...<strong>

**Till next chapter!**


	20. 20 - See yourself

**Welcome to chapter 20! I've just watched Volume 2 Episode 8, and apparently there's this new main character called Zwei. I'm interested in bringing him in, but not immediately; it might take a while. Just FYI.**

**I'm sticking to Dust instead of Glass for Cinder right now, coz of the way this fanfic is planned. Probably may deviate from the canon, but then again, this was started before Volume 2 Episode 7 was released so I guess it can't be helped; I cannot change the story's elements now to match the canon, although I will try…**

**Also, if you were wondering, Blake is not going to be a side character just because her arc's over. She's still going to get some spotlight later in the story, and amongst the four heroines she's the one who I'm hoping to develop a friend/partner relationship with Sapphire.**

**And now, on with the story:**

* * *

><p>The concrete felt cool and damp against his cheeks as he lay there, unmoving. It felt somewhat soothing, even though it did nothing for the inferno ignited on his back.<p>

He hazily wondered if his spine was damaged. His mind had stopped working since the first lash, and the peculiar sensation that was his Semblance allowed his consciousness to hold after the second. Now that it was over, he wanted to reach back and check for bleeding, but every minute movement sent terrible shockwaves of pain throughout his body.

He wondered if it was worth it. Sure, it might not have been the right thing to do, but slaughtering the entire village had been his mission. Why should he care if the White Fang part was a lie? The client's true motives were of no concern to him; he was a mercenary, and he had no morals as long as he got paid.

There was a knock on the door. Being unable to move, Sapphire ignored the person on the other side. It was probably someone from his team, here to jeer at him for landing up in solitary confinement anyway.

"Hey, Saph," Luke's voice came from the other side. "You still kickin'?"

"No," Sapphire replied, wincing from the effort. "As soon as I learn how to pass through walls my spirit's gonna go snap your neck."

"Oh no, I am so scared," Luke replied flatly. "I am practically shaking in my boots right now. Please spare me, o vengeful one."

"What'd you want?" Sapphire asked grumpily.

With a light, scraping sound, the smell of food wafted into the room. Sapphire tried looking up, but failed miserably in his attempt.

"I heard you're getting nothing but water these three days," Luke said. "You're already nothing but skin and bones for a young brat, too; any lighter and you'll be floating."

Sapphire did not reply. He vaguely remembered Luke asking them to stop after the twelfth hit of the chain, which he was thankful but could not fathom why. Luke had no reason to step in for him, even if they were partners, but Luke had done it anyway. Now, he even brought Sapphire food – an act that would probably land him in a worse punishment than what Sapphire had to endure.

"Hey, Saph," Luke spoke up over Sapphire's brooding silence. "Why did you do it?"

He did not need to spell it out. Sapphire knew perfectly well what Luke was referring to. So that was his intention: to find out why Sapphire saved those villagers and even threatened to kill anyone who wanted to go after them.

"Who knows?" Sapphire replied. "Maybe I just felt like playing the bad guy and wanted an excuse to beat up you bunch of wannabes."

"To support the White Fang?" Luke asked, laughing.

"Maybe I want to enlist," Sapphire replied, panting; the talking was oddly tiring for him right now.

He could not drag Luke down with him. Luke knew nothing, and he simply went by his orders. There was no reason to tell him the truth; what good would it do for anyone anymore?

"Well, you're young after all," Luke reasoned. "You're probably undergoing what they call a 'rebellious phase', yeah?"

Sapphire did not reply. Instead, he dragged his battered body closer to the door, reaching for the plate of what looked like rice with some meat at the side.

"You won't let me get into any more trouble, huh?" Luke said at last after a lengthy silence. "You're a good fella, Saph. A softy, sure, but a nice guy."

"Says the softy who brought me food," Sapphire replied, managing to sit up and resting the side of one arm against the cold metal door.

"Rascal," Luke said, amusement evident in his voice. "You've got a good heart, kid. Whatever you do, don't lose it."

* * *

><p>A sharp cracking sound resounded, followed shortly by the collapsing of the tree Sapphire snapped. The force had come from a simple kick, its force amplified by his Semblance while Lifesaver took on Combat Mode.<p>

Sapphire winced. Hastily returning his boots to Neutral Mode, he grit his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside. He had been hoping to manage some decent moves in Combat Mode, but things simply did not go the way he wanted it to.

Due to the pain caused by activating Combat Mode, Sapphire's movements became severely restricted. Along with the increase in physical strength, mental capacity and reaction speed, the worsened pain made it nearly impossible for Sapphire to move his legs beyond basic steps and small jumps. Even though his speed increased, his movements were far more sluggish in nature and he was actually much less agile and flexible.

Using Combat Mode not only had a time limit because of the pain, but it effectively traded technique for raw power. If Sapphire wanted to combat Mercury, he needed to be able to overcome that trade-off. If he could manage to keep his technique in Combat Mode, having a lack of a killing intent would still allow him to defeat his former partner.

The failure at managing that was becoming really frustrating. That, along with the fact that he had run out of Grimms to kill, was starting to get on Sapphire's nerves. Then again, what he said to Weiss earlier was probably another factor.

"Look into yourself?!" He shouted, charging at another tree and slashing at it with Daybreak and Duskfall. "Look at yourself?!"

He then proceeded to do a roundhouse kick on a nearby bush, removing a large portion and sending countless leaves into the air.

He had no right to lecture her. He had no right to tell her what to do, and yet he did it anyway. He said those words which were not only cheesy, but completely unlike him.

And worse of all, he had meant them.

Tearing through several more trees, bushes and patches of grass, Sapphire finally stopped, panting as he stood alone against the remaining volume of forest, which still felt as imposing as ever. His irises were burning red due to his emotional outburst, but he did not seem to care.

"Taking out your frustrations on agriculture is a bad sign, you know."

Without actually meaning to do so, Sapphire turned and glared at Ozpin as the latter walked up to him with a cup of coffee in his hands. He had but a millimeter of a smile on his face.

"Deforestation can be considered a very serious offense, you know," Ozpin pointed out.

"What do you want?" Sapphire snapped. He was in no mood for a witty remark at all, and had even less patience for whatever it was that Ozpin was going to say.

"Nothing," the headmaster replied. "I was just simply checking out the condition of the forest, considering that someone has recently snuck in here on several accounts outside of lessons, and killed most of the Grimm. We were thinking of doing some investigation and maybe change the curriculum a bit, you see."

"Good luck with that," Sapphire muttered, folding up his weapons and turning away.

"Trying to bring out your killing intent?" Ozpin asked casually, as though he was discussing the weather. Sapphire spun around and glared at him. "You will never be able to release it like this, you know."

"And why is that?" Sapphire snarled.

"Because you're seeking the wrong trigger," Ozpin replied easily. "Most mercenaries discard their morals and as such they are capable of summoning their killing intent as a form of self-defense. It's because they only look out for themselves that they are able to use it as a means of protection. You, however, look to others more than you do to yourself. You care too much, and it's always a care for others because of your heart. This would be admirable, if you did not limit your own viewpoint that way."

Sapphire took a single step forward, his fists clenched and his weapons ready. He was getting sick and tired of people always telling him that he had a 'heart'; it was a constant reminder of how he failed as a mercenary. No matter how much salvation those words brought him, he could not bring himself to fully accept them.

"In your eyes, all you can see are other people," Ozpin pointed out. "You want to protect them, you care for them, and you will fly into a rage over them being hurt. Yet, you never once look at yourself. You are never a target of your own concern, and as such you never look out for yourself. If you see others in danger, you would push yourself regardless of whatever harm you end up facing. I'd say you are selfless, but it's really just simple ignorance."

Sapphire paused. He did not care if Ozpin was insulting him; he was used to being made a joke of by many others. What he could not understand was where he intended to go with this.

"If you deny yourself as a proper individual, you have no right to protect others," Ozpin continued. "You would just be a weapon – lethal and able to protect those around it, but ultimately nothing but an easily broken tool. Your source of strength comes from the desire to protect and fight for others, not yourself, so it's only natural you cannot find your killing intent by putting yourself in danger."

So that was it. Ozpin wanted to brainwash him with the 'power of friendship' crap again. There was no way he would fall for-

"Have you ever wondered why everyone around you dies, even though you keep getting stronger?"

Sapphire's blood ran cold at those words. Even his Semblance felt like it faded away upon hearing that question. It was a question that had haunted him for many years without giving him an answer.

"Your lack of acknowledgement of your own worth makes you go extra miles only to protect others," Ozpin said. "Have you ever wondered if it was because you failed to look out for yourself that you could not protect yourself, and that this self-inflicted vulnerability made others step in to protect you instead?"

_We're always watching._

Blake's words returned vividly to Sapphire's numb mind as his eyes widened in shock and horror. He could not see himself, therefore others had to look out for him. Was that the reason why everyone around him perished? Was it simply because he had made them worry about him, while he was worrying about them? In the end, it was not his powerlessness that killed them.

It was his inability to see himself.

He refused to give himself any importance, but it only made others lose their lives. He had thought it was fine this way, but it merely garnered more attention from those around him. His own stupidity and childishness led to their deaths. What kind of twisted joke was this?

"You may have a good heart, but it does not mean your acts of goodwill will necessarily lead to better outcomes," Ozpin finished. "Sometimes, being a little selfish can be useful. Fortunately, there is still a chance to make things right. With your current teammates, you just might be able to recover your sense of self. If you are able to accept yourself, I'm sure you'll be able to ascend to greater heights. I have high expectations of you."

With that, the older man left, walking away from a boy who was once again thrown into inner conflicts. Behind a nearby tree, Glynda Goodwitch waited, her hands folded across her chest as she scowled.

"You may be nice with the girls, but you're downright ruthless with the boys," she commented.

"He needs to take the next step, Glynda," Ozpin assured her with a smile. "He has come to terms with accepting friends; now it is time for him to accept himself."

"And breaking his will like that is the way to do it?" Glynda enquired.

"He is stronger than that," Ozpin said with confidence. "In some ways, he might even be stronger than I am."

* * *

><p>Weiss sighed. She listened without speaking, feeling defeated, as her sister went on and on about the same thing.<p>

"… And of course you had to sleep through the entire day," Winter said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "After all, the concert is so far away, isn't it? You have all the time in the world to practice, Weiss! Or perhaps you're so talented you don't need to practice anymore?"

She was stressed. Weiss had heard that tone way too many times, so she had become accustomed to it. Winter was never that strict with her; she merely forgot everything else when urgent matters occupied her attention. When she finally calms down, she would call back and apologize. It was pretty much a common routine. Most of the time, anyway; Winter's workload was insane after all.

"I understand," Weiss said. "I will get back to practicing immediately."

When she hung up, the white-haired heiress let loose a heavy sigh. She did not particularly regret taking that nap, since it did manage to energize her, but she was frustrated over her lack of ability.

She had to push herself because she was not good enough. She had forgotten during the talk with Sapphire that she was mediocre; the excessive practicing merely narrowed the gap. She had to work hard because unlike Pyrrha, Ruby and many others, she had no talent. She was inferior.

Cursing herself for her stupidity, Weiss forcefully pushed all of Sapphire's words to the back of her mind. This was what she wanted. This was what she knew was right: she would do whatever it took, not to live up to the expectations of being a Schnee, and not to prevent making mistakes as an elite.

She would do whatever it took, just to be able to stand at where they stood.


	21. 21 - Your Other

**Welcome to chapter 21! **

**Just a little clarification about where this story takes place: while this is an AU, there will be similarities to the canon up till Volume 2, Episode 7 (Dance Dance Infiltration), with the prom and all. I added a note to the first chapter just in case as well.**

**Hopefully that clears up some doubt, and a big thank you to the reader who brought this up!**

**Quite a bit of throwback to Volume 1, Episode 4 (The First Step) here, so if you forgot, um… Shame on you. **

**Anyway, moving on…**

* * *

><p>"What's wrong with you?!"<p>

Those words escaped his lips out of impulse. Even if he was merely six, he knew very well that there were better things to say, and that much smarter options were available, but he just did not care at that moment.

They had made her cry, and that was reason enough to step in.

"Oh, look at this!" the leader of the bullies – a boy a full head taller than he was and twice the mass – sneered as this joke of an adversary. "Lie's protecting his girlfri-"

Before he could finish that sentence, the talking pig of a kid's face was slammed into the ground.

"Don't pick on her," Ren said. His tone was even, but his eyes were sharp. He had always been quiet and reserved, but even he had a limit to his patience.

The other bullies were retreating. Despite his size, Ren had managed to knock out their leader in one swift movement. They knew that Ren was a bookworm who could not fight, which only made his sudden strength all the more baffling. What they did not know, however, was that they were responsible for that change; their excessive bullying made him learn to fight just to defend her.

"You wanna fight, Lie?" the ringleader picked himself up, scowling as he wiped the dirt off his face. "You want a pummeling, is that it?"

"You don't lay a single finger on Nora," Ren threatened, keeping calm despite the incoming group now reassured with their leader's revival. There were more than enough of them to not only make him regret those words, but probably break a few bones too. The youngest of them was seven, and the smallest was already Ren's size. Young as he was, Ren was not stupid enough to believe that he had a chance.

"Let's teach him a lesson," the ringleader said menacingly, and despite the level of cliché in his line it turned out strangely threatening.

"Stay back, Nora," Ren muttered, as Nora cowered behind him, tears in her eyes. Turning back to the bullies, he managed a fearless smirk. "I'm going to break their legs."

* * *

><p>He groaned. It was hard to see out of his left eye, which felt unnaturally puffy. Wherever they punched and kicked felt so sore he almost thought it was not his body he was feeling.<p>

"Are you okay, Ren?" Nora asked, her expression clouded with worry.

"Yep," Ren replied with a lopsided grin, hoping that it would be reassuring enough; that frowning look did not suit Nora. "Don't make that face, Nora."

"Why did you have to be so reckless?" she asked, half scolding him. "There were so many of them! It's like trying to fight a horde of Ursi with your bare hands!"

"I heard there are people out there who ride Ursi," Ren replied cheekily, offering her one of his rare smiles. It was only a small one, but Nora would not mind. She never did.

"Those people are insane, then!" Nora exclaimed, dabbing at his bruises with a handkerchief. "You're supposed to be smart!"

"That's why I don't play where the bullies hang out," Ren reasoned. Nora pouted.

"They…" she muttered, sniffling. "They were making fun of you for liking books, so I was trying to get them to stop…"

"You should just ignore them," Ren said dismissively. "They're right, after all."

In truth, he did not particularly enjoy studying. He would have, like any other kid, wanted to be out in the streets playing and having fun. However, Ren knew that if he did not work hard, he would not have the results to go wherever Nora went.

He had not understood what a prodigy was, until Nora proved that she was one; even without much effort, Nora was better than most of her peers. Besides the fact that she was a gentle girl who would just keep quiet and let the bullies have their way with her, she was a perfect girl with near-perfect grades.

Ren, however, was normal. Sure, he might have learned some martial arts at a young age to protect her, but he was still average. He thought that with enough effort, he would be able to catch up to her. That way, they would be able to stay together. That way, he could continue to look out for her. That way, he could protect her forever.

"Don't make that face, Nora," he said. "You look better smiling."

Back when they were six, Nora was the quiet one, and Ren was the more boisterous of them both. After years spent putting in colossal amount of hard work, Ren had managed to stand by her side as they attended Beacon. Even though he had achieved that, he now found it difficult to return to when they were children; he no longer had that energy, and more often than not kept to himself. Nora, however, seemed to have found a source of energy that refused to run dry.

But if there was something that did not change, it would be his feelings for her. With a fierce determination despite his usually cool demeanor, he would continue to protect the woman known as Nora Valkyrie. That had always been, and always would be, the sole motivation of the Huntsman named Lie Ren.

* * *

><p>"Wake up, lazy bud!"<p>

Groaning at the unwelcome awakening, Ren groggily opened his eyes. Jaune and Pyrrha were nowhere to be seen as he sat up, which meant that Nora had been kind enough to give him some extra minutes to sleep in.

"We have combat classes today!" Nora declared, speaking quickly like she did every other morning. "So I was wondering, like, because you're the perfect student and I'm me, we'd surely be able to dominate the competition, right?"

Ren continued to listen without making any comments, as he brushed his teeth and headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Of course, it's usually a one-on-one," Nora went on, demolishing her breakfast as she struggled to talk with her mouth full. "But you know, if we get to battle as a pair, wouldn't that be an instant victory?"

As he checked the condition of his weapons before tucking them into the sleeves of his clothes, Ren's expression remained the same as he wondered how he should reply.

"But then again, that would just be plain bullying, right?" Nora wondered aloud, her talking pace still incredibly fast. "I mean, what would we do if they decided to move us up a grade simply because of how awesome we were? I'd feel bad for Jaune and Pyrrha, but if that's the way it goes, that's how it is, right?"

"Nora," Ren said at last.

"Yes, Ren?" Nora asked, looking and sounding excited as usual.

"I'm still not going to let you get involved," Ren finished with a deadpan tone.

He was referring to Sapphire's request, and naturally Nora knew that. However, the sudden refusal seemingly out of nowhere made her pause for a few moments.

"W-what are you talking about?" Nora asked hastily, managing a nervous grin. "I-I didn't have that intention at all!"

Ren sighed. Today was going to be another long day.

* * *

><p>"Winner: Pyrrha Nikos!"<p>

As the students cheered, the still undefeated ace of team JNPR reached out and helped Weiss get on her feet.

"You've gotten better, Weiss," she complimented.

"Thanks," Weiss replied, somewhat halfheartedly. "You too."

Keeping a friendly (albeit forced) smile on her face, Weiss exited the arena, leaving Pyrrha to be bathed in the standing ovation that celebrated her overwhelming victory.

She intended to head for the seats where her teammates were, but the heiress only managed a few steps before her feet refused to walk any further. No one would see her now that she was out of the spotlight and in the dimly lit hallways, but she still tried to hold in her frustration.

She lost again. No matter how many times they sparred, Weiss still could not defeat Pyrrha. She knew very well that she was weaker, but she had put in so much effort in order to bridge that gap. She had put in far more time to train herself than anyone else, so why was it that she was still so pathetic?

She hated being this weak. She despised her own incompetence. But above all, she was just so jealous. She could not do anything besides watch as other people – regular people, no less – achieve what she could not, and have what she never would. Why did she have to be an elite, yet so powerless, while the regular people were so special?

Instead of heading back to where her team was, Weiss trudged back to her dorm. She already had one match, and that was enough to prevent being called out again. There was no need to watch Pyrrha wipe the floor with more people; it would just make her feel even more inferior by comparison. She considered asking for help from her teammates later, but that idea was shot down the moment it surfaced; she was a Schnee, after all. There was no way she could depend on other people.

Except, perhaps, for him.

"N-Neptune," she called out, halting the blue-haired teen in his tracks as he sipped from the can he got out of the vending machine.

"Oh, hey Weiss," Neptune replied, looking cool as usual. Weiss could swear she saw his teeth sparkle in the sunlight. "Classes over?"

"Yeah," Weiss said. "W-where have you been? I didn't see you there."

"Eh, didn't feel like it," he replied, shrugging. "So I didn't go. Sun and the others will cover for me."

If there was someone she could possibly rely on, it would be him. Neptune had enough confidence to treat combat classes so lightly – an observation backed by how perfect he looked every day. If it was him, he could surely help Weiss overcome her mediocrity.

"Hey, Neptune," she began hesitantly. "I-I was wondering… Could you possibly… Um… That is, would you be interested in training with me?"

"Training?" Neptune asked. "Sorry; I don't think I'm really that qualified. Why don't you ask someone else?"

Weiss was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a sudden ringing of Neptune's phone. He answered the call hastily, muttering something here and there.

"Sorry about that," he said, hanging up. "Gotta go. Talk to you some other time, Weiss!"

Before she could call him back, Neptune had already run off. Weiss sighed in defeat, letting her shoulders droop in an undignified way. She had not expected him to agree, even though she had really wished that he would.

Since she had no choice, Weiss decided to settle for Sapphire, who despite his lack of manners was an ex-mercenary. Just as she fished for her phone, she remembered with a groan that she did not have his number. To make matters worse, Sapphire had left the island earlier in the morning to get his boots' maintenance done somewhere – a detail that only just came back to her.

"Why must all this happen to me?" she wondered aloud.

* * *

><p>"Victory~!" Nora yelled, as the student whose name she did not even know staggered off the stage. Pyrrha had already fought her share, and now it was up to her to keep up the winning streak. "Can I have another, please?"<p>

"Well, we do have some time," Glynda informed her. "It should be fine for you to have another match. Would you like to pick an opponent?"

"Yep!" Nora declared happily, searching the crowd for her foe. It did not take her long. "There! That guy!"

Glynda gave her a strange look, arching an eyebrow to emphasize her confusion. The crowd went quiet for a few seconds, before the whispers and murmurs started up.

"Very well," Glynda agreed in the end. "Just as you have heard, Mr. Lie. Please come down to the stage."

* * *

><p><span><strong>About the backstory… Yeah, my speculation as a fan. Please, put that pitchfork down.<strong>

**Whew. A-About how Ren and Nora came to switch their personalities, I'm gonna go into that while moving through Weiss's challenges in Weiss's arc, so do bear with me. **

**Until next chapter, then!**


	22. 22 - Stepping Down

**Welcome to chapter 22! The title was really hard to decide for this one…**

* * *

><p>Ruby Rose was a weapons maniac. Anyone who was unfortunate enough to carry a weapon around her was certain to, at some point in time, get a hearty dose of her squealing and (as Yang called it) 'fan-girling'. It went without saying that should there ever be a situation where said weapons are put to practical use before her eyes, she would all but cheer elatedly. Now, however, even with Nora's Magnhild and Ren's StormFlower about to clash in front of her, what occupied the young girl's mind instead was her white-haired teammate.<p>

"Ooh, this looks juicy," Yang commented, a huge grin on her face. "Never thought Nora would challenge Ren."

"What's wrong, Ruby?" Blake asked, easily picking up on her team leader's unease; Ruby was not only a bad liar, but she was also a child who wore her heart on her sleeve.

"Weiss hasn't come back yet," Ruby replied, worry clearly etched on her face. "You think maybe she's upset about losing to Pyrrha?"

"Come on; it was just class!" Yang said dismissively. "Although, it's Weiss we're talking about, so…"

"I'm gonna go look for her," Ruby said, standing up. The battle in front of her hardly even seemed interesting right now. Why was everyone so interested in this instead of being concerned about Weiss?

"I'll go with you," Blake offered.

"Thanks," Ruby offered her a smile sweet enough to cause diabetes (or at least, that was how Yang put it, and Blake tended to agree). "I'll go search the dorm area, so could you check the showers?"

"Got it," Blake replied, nodding; Ruby could cover a greater distance faster with her Semblance after all.

"And Yang," Ruby added, turning to her sister. "Could you stay here in case Weiss comes back?"

"Sure thing," Yang replied readily; she was already turning back to watch the fight. "Have fun~"

Blake sighed before landing a chop onto her partner's head.

* * *

><p>Ren took his time to walk up to face his opponent, massaging his temple. Today was going to be a long day indeed.<p>

"Are you sure about this, Nora?" he asked.

"Yep!" Nora replied heartily, twirling Magnhild around like a cheerleader's baton. "Ever ready!"

"Fine," Ren sighed, bringing out StormFlower with a flick of his wrists. He knew there was no convincing Nora otherwise.

"Begin!" Glynda declared.

With a deafening explosion, Nora launched herself into the air and brought down her hammer on Ren. He rolled out of the way despite being rattled by the shockwaves of the explosion, before closing the distance with a swift, powerful leap.

Nora swung her hammer right into the path of Ren's movement, only for him to use it as a platform to jump into the air and over her head. While in mid-air, he let loose a flurry of shots at Magnhild.

He refused to aim at Nora out of refusal to hurt her, even with her Aura up. However, the result of that was a failed attempt to disarm her, and a swift counterattack with the war hammer right into his face. He managed to bring up StormFlower to block the attack, but the forceful impact still sent him flying.

Using the blades to dig into the ground as makeshift brakes, Ren prevented himself from being knocked out of the arena by carving two deep marks onto the floor. Nora was not just playing around, and he could tell; she had never used such strength on him before.

She was serious. To her, this battle was more than just part of the curriculum. She was genuinely trying to defeat Ren, and was not going to pull any punches. In Nora's own way, she was also telling him to fight back with all that he had. So he obliged.

Firing a barrage of shots at Nora's feet to throw her off balance, Ren dashed forward. Throwing the weapon in his left hand, he managed to get even closer while Nora swatted the twirling blade up into the air.

With a sharp 'clang', their weapons met, with both sides held at a deadlock attempting to push the other back. Without looking, Ren reached out and grabbed his flung weapon as it fell, pointed it at Nora, and (with much hesitation) opened fire.

Nora leapt backwards, moving with the flow of the force and pulling herself from the gunfire. Using the head of her hammer to deflect the bullets, she did a cartwheel to the side to avoid the rest of the spray of bullets. She did not stop to check her Aura levels on her Scroll, but she knew very well that protecting herself from that many bullets would definitely have taken away a large chunk of it. Smashing her hammer onto the floor, she fired off another grenade upon impact, sending up a large cloud of smoke and debris.

Shielding his face with his arms, Ren withstood the shockwave from the explosion. In that position, he braced himself for impact from above, using StormFlower as a shield. In the next instant, however, a burst of light and sound erupted in front of him, knocking him back.

Recovering from the surprise grenade fired straight from the smoke, Ren hastily regained his composure and focused on Nora, who had launched herself out of her now useless cover with another explosion. Left without enough time to dodge sideways, he flung Stormflower up into the air and stopped her brute charge with his palms.

He could not believe what he was seeing. He knew that Nora was gifted at combat, but he had not expected that she would be able to outsmart him. He believed that he would be able to predict any move she made, and that he would be able to win even while holding back out of concern for her safety. He had not anticipated that she would be able to push him into a corner.

Bringing up his palms in a swift, flowing motion, Ren attempted to send Nora and her weapon flying. Nora, with a cheeky grin, jumped off the hammer just as Ren got into motion, using the force of his counter to add to the momentum of her swing. In one fluid circular spin, accelerated by Ren, Magnhild slammed into his chin and sent him shooting towards the ceiling. Ren managed to grab his weapons in mid-air, but instead of counter-attacking as he would have normally done, he did nothing; that last attack had definitely settled the match.

"That's enough!" Glynda declared, looking up from her Scroll, where it displayed Ren's Aura levels going into the red zone. "Winner: Nora Valkyrie!"

Landing on his feet with as much finesse as a loser could, Ren dusted himself off as he kept StormFlower inside his sleeves. He refused to make eye contact as Nora approached him, which prevented him from seeing one of her rare serious faces. The crowd, not paying much attention, was clapping politely with a few cheers here and there (most sounded like Yang, however).

"How'd I do?" she asked.

"You did great, Nora," Ren replied, meaning more than he meant. "I didn't expect you to have improved that much."

"Well, I got it from you!" Nora replied cheekily, scratching the back of her head as she laughed. "I figured if you were working so hard I'd join you! Next time I'll show you what I can do without holding back!"

"You were holding back?" Ren asked, looking up hesitantly. He had such a hard time facing her, but she was still going easy on him?

"Well, yeah," Nora replied, as though it was obvious. "I mean, you were holding back the whole time, so it's only fair!"

"Your holding back was pretty merciless," Ren muttered, making an attempt at a joke. It pretty much fell flat. "My chin may never recover."

"At least I didn't break your legs," Nora offered. "Hey… Ren."

Ren did not reply. He was worried about the change in her tone. He could already guess what she was going to say.

"You remember how you used to be the boisterous one back when we were kids?" Nora asked, surprising him; it was not the sentence he thought she would say. "Back then, I was quiet and kept to myself."

"Yeah," Ren replied, slouching a little; the fatigue from using his Aura was starting to take its toll. "As I recall, you were bullied a lot for it."

"Yeah, and you stepped in to save me every time," Nora said, blushing a light shade of pink. "So I thought I'd work hard so I wouldn't be in your way all the time… Since you were always protecting me, I wanted to you know… reduce your burden and… you know… maybe protect you sometimes. So I learned from you and gained a bundle of boundless energy."

Ren looked at her, bewildered. He had poured most of his life into studies and training to be with Nora, to protect her. He had not ignored her all this time, either, so how had he missed this? If Nora felt that way, surely he would have noticed. But then again, he did not even notice when she had become the bubbly girl she was now. He had not even realized when he had become a silent bookworm until that identity was ingrained in him. He did not pick up on their changes – changes which transformed them into stark contrasts of themselves when they were young. Changes which effectively turned them into each other.

How did they come to this?

Two people, standing on opposite sides, walked towards the same direction, the same goal. With each other in their eyes, they had somehow crossed each other and stood on the other side. Now, still carrying the same goals, they looked across at each other, still standing as polar opposites, not even realizing that they had swapped places.

Or perhaps, only Ren had not noticed it. For what reason had he worked so hard, if she was now capable of doing what he wanted to do? If he was no longer needed to protect her, what would he do?

"I'm capable of looking out for myself now," Nora said, her voice soft. "So you can take a small break, Ren. I still want you to protect me, but I also want you to trust me. I want you to look at me for who I am, not who I used to be. I… er… this is kinda embarrassing to say, but I kinda want us to be in a proper relationship where we both look out for each other, you know?"

For the first time in what felt like centuries, Ren looked into her eyes. While he could see her determination and embarrassment, he could also still see a hint of her old self in there; he could still see a shadow of her fear and timidity.

"Pleeease?" Nora pleaded, offering a wide, toothy grin.

"And if I say no?" Ren asked, sighing. He did have traces of a smile on his face, though – a detail that would never escape Nora's keen eyes. After all, she had been constantly looking at him these past few years.

"I'll break your legs!" Nora replied with an evil, mischievous smile.

"You'll break my legs," Ren answered his own question at the exact same time she gave hers. "I get it. You can come along to help out. But if you get in trouble, I'm going to forfeit the mission and come get you, okay?"

"That's my line!" Nora said happily, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. "You're the best, Ren!"

And without warning, she pulled him into a full-frontal kiss. Right there. In front of a crowd. In front of Pyrrha and Jaune. And Yang. And Glynda Goodwitch.

"_Ahem,_" Glynda cleared her throat significantly, but no one cared; the audience pretty much erupted into a standing ovation and drowned out her exasperated comments.

He had failed to see her for so long. As he returned the kiss with fervor he thought he had lost, Ren could not help but think that this was not that bad. From now on, it was time to catch up on the times they lost. It was time to face this woman in front of him as the energetic little Queen of the Castle she was, instead of the cowering crybaby hiding behind him all the time.

On a stage prepared by defeat, Lie Ren stepped down from the role of the protector to assume the role of Nora's true other half.

Maybe he could give this 'going out' thing a try after all.

* * *

><p>"Weiss?" Ruby called out, opening the door to Team RWBY's room.<p>

Weiss stiffened at being called, hastily wiping her eyes. She turned to Ruby, putting on her best indifferent expression.

"What?" she snapped. Ruby flinched, which made the heiress feel a little guilty.

"Erm… You disappeared, so I was wondering where you were," Ruby said timidly, as though she was a little kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I thought you may be feeling down for losing, so…"

"Oh, please," Weiss scoffed. "I'm _so_ beyond getting worried over a single loss. I have other things to worry about, Ruby Rose. I was just thinking to myself what a waste it was that Team JNPR couldn't come for the concert, that's all."

"W-what?" Ruby asked, before her mind caught on. "Oh yeah, Jaune said something like that. You can't really give their seats to someone else, right?"

"Of course not," Weiss snapped.

"Hey, Weiss," Ruby said thoughtfully. "If you could, do you think it's possible to invite a few other people? It doesn't have to be VIP balcony seats, but you know…"

_Maybe the thought of more people going would cheer her up,_ she thought.

"Who do you have in mind?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…" Ruby dragged out the pause for dramatic effect, because her cape was red.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Ugh. Once again, my reluctance to drag things out made the resolution quite swift. But then again, I can't see Ren fighting all-out against Nora and vice-versa, so I guess this was somewhat fitting. <strong>

**I kept the details about their weapons minimal, partially because their full abilities are yet to be released, and partially because I wanted to keep it until when they have a reason to fight seriously. If the canon doesn't address their capabilities by then, I'll be going with my own speculations of what they can do then.**

**Oh, and if you thought this was the end of the relationship building stuff, nope it's not. Like Jaune' and Pyrrha's in Chapter 9, this is meant to be a means to get things started, so I can develop them from there. Hope you'll stay with me till then. **

**And 'because her cape was red'? Yeah I think that's a legit reason to be dramatic when you're giving your answer. **

**Till next chapter, fellas!**


	23. 23 - History

**Greetings, salutations and welcome to chapter 23! **

**I wanted to postpone this chapter till Volume 2 Episode 9 came out, and it certainly did give me some new ideas to work with. So in appreciation, I'm bringing in DOCTOR Oobleck here.**

**I typed it as quickly as I could, so please don't break my legs.**

* * *

><p>Sapphire stretched contentedly as he exited the hospital. The sun was pretty bright, but he found it oddly relaxing to bask in its gentle rays. Probably because of the faint, high-pitched screeching that barely escaped the large glass doors behind him.<p>

The checkup itself was fine save the usual warnings about how he should stop fighting, and the maintenance had gone smoothly (although he would have liked it with a little less blood). The only real problem Sapphire ended up facing was walking into some foreign guy with his nose pointed at the ceiling.

The middle-aged gentleman did not take being bumped into very kindly, and despite Sapphire's apologies he deemed it fit to make an appropriate remark. With much grace, he told Sapphire in what appeared to be his native language that the boy's family frequently and enthusiastically fornicated with livestock.

Sapphire, being the good-natured, well-mannered multilingual gentleman that he was, nodded knowingly to show that he understood every word. Then, with a cheery smile that reduced his blue eyes to slits, he daintily brought one leg right up the middle of the man's legs.

The screaming was a lot softer now that there were glass panes between them, or maybe it was because the poor man's yelling was going into ultrasonic. Either way, Sapphire was satisfied with that kick; the fact that he felt next to nothing from the impact meant that the maintenance was effective. However, because he was wearing Lifesaver, whoever took an attack from the reinforced metal on the tip of its boot was certainly not as lucky.

"Test run finished," he said to no one in particular.

"My word," an irksome voice said from behind him. "I must say that it was a stroke of good luck that you were not wearing the school uniform."

Turning reluctantly to face the demon who had tormented him since their departure from Beacon, Sapphire tried valiantly to mask his disdain.

"Although, all things considered, that kick was quite something," Peter Port said, nodding to himself. "It reminds me of the time I had to fight off a horde of vicious Grimm without any weapons. I too, relied on my limbs, including my bare hands and strong legs…"

Sapphire clenched his fists. It was going to be a long journey back.

* * *

><p>Heaving a very drawn out, very loud sigh, Sapphire nearly collapsed as he opened the door to Team RWBY's room. He was already mentally worn out from thinking over Ozpin's words, and listening to Port go on and on about every single battle he had with pretty much every single kind of Grimm did not help matters. It did not even serve as a useful lesson; Sapphire had already fought just about every kind of Grimm in countless missions across Remnant. Regardless, he cleared his mind and made sure his expression was neutral before stepping into the room.<p>

Ruby, by the expression on her face as he entered, was facing a similar problem. With a half-dead forlorn look of utter fatigue on her face, the young leader of her team looked like she was about to pass out at any time. She looked at Sapphire with pleading eyes, as though hoping he could save her, but the former mercenary was not yet suicidal enough to step in with a deadly-looking Weiss and a serious Blake at her sides. Even Yang, who was seated by the window with a book covering her face, did not seem willing to risk her life.

"Dare I ask what's going on?" Sapphire asked, closing the door behind him. His eyes fell on the stack of papers on the desk Ruby was slumped over.

"Tuition," Weiss and Blake replied at the same time, causing Ruby to groan.

"This dolt may be two years younger, but that's no excuse to fall behind on studies," Weiss reasoned, shoving another sheet in front of Ruby's face. Another groan. "So Blake and I are going to make sure she doesn't embarrass the team."

"It's a good thing I'm too old for this crap," Sapphire thought aloud, reading off a random piece of paper. "Granted, when I was your age I was fighting instead of studying, though."

"Exactly!" Ruby exclaimed, slamming her palms onto the desk enthusiastically. "That's the way a Hunter should-" she caught the look on Blake' and Weiss's faces. "W-well, you know… I thought… maybe… that is…"

The rest of her words trailed off into an inaudible mumble as she sank back to her knees, picking up another stack of papers.

"This is wrong," Sapphire suddenly pointed out, making everyone turn sharply to him. "The Cross Continental Transmit was developed by Atlas, not whatever it is you wrote. I think you even spelled it wrong regardless. Also, The Southern Massacre produced an estimate of thirty thousand dead, not twelve thousand."

"Didn't we already go through that?!" Weiss asked incredulously, snatching the paper from him. "He's right! Why are you still making those mistakes even after what we've taught you?! What actually goes through that thick skull of yours, Ruby Rose?!"

"To be fair, slapping a huge chunk of information on someone at one go isn't going to help," Sapphire reasoned, and Ruby looked at him with tears of gratitude welling up in her eyes. "She probably confused the massacre with the activists uprising two years prior to that. They were related, after all."

"Since when did you become so knowledgeable about history?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We learned from the battles to formulate our own strategies," Sapphire replied, shrugging. In truth, most of what he learned came from Luke, who was as much as a history geek as he was a caffeine and swearing addict. He had picked up the rest out of interest, but mostly because Luke had forced him to. "I should probably mention that I was likely involved in some of the very recent conflicts that occurred in the world, too, so it's only natural I know about them."

"You're saying some serious things with a straight face, you know," Yang pointed out, putting down her book. "Say, what's that you're holding?"

"Oh, I forgot," Sapphire said, holding up the large bag in his hand. "Some delivery guy asked me to pass this to you. Well, to you and Rose."

"What is it? What is it?" Ruby asked excitedly, dashing from her confinement space by the table to Sapphire's side, eyeing the bag in anticipation. Weiss sighed.

"Good question," Sapphire replied flatly, passing it to her. "Looks like a ton of combat rations, judging from the truckload of cans in there."

"Hey, isn't this-?" Ruby emptied the bag's contents on the spot, pouring out a small mountain of what appeared to be Gentleman's Best Friend dog food along with a large cylinder.

"Careful," Sapphire said cautiously, reaching for the suspicious article. "This looks dangerous."

"I think I know what it is," Yang said, picking up the letter that had fallen out from the bag. "Yeah, it's from dad."

"Doesn't that mean it's-?" Ruby was looking more and more excited by the moment, which made Weiss edge away from the cylinder.

"It's not a bomb," Sapphire observed, holding up the cylinder. He jumped when whatever was inside it slid out and landed on the floor. "What the-"

The furry object rolled on the floor, appearing inanimate before it grew a pair of ears. Then a face emerged. And legs. And a tail.

"ZWEI~!" Ruby squealed, pouncing on the dog that had been sent via mail and cuddling with it. She completely ignored the rest of the occupants of the room, who were utterly stunned speechless (except Blake, who looked scared out of her skin).

"Is that a dog?" Sapphire asked, finally finding his voice.

"Yep," Yang replied. "And before you ask: yes, he does stuff like that."

"It's…" Weiss was shaking as she approached the furry creature, which was licking Ruby's cheeks enthusiastically. "It's… ADORABLE!"

Sapphire choked on his saliva, coughing violently as Yang patted him on the back. It took Weiss a few seconds to regain her dignified composure, but she was still tickling the animal's chin while it lay on Ruby's chest.

"Who's a good widdle doggy?" she cooed. "Who's a good widdle doggy?"

"Well, at least she's happy," Sapphire managed weakly, still wheezing a little. "I almost died from shock at that reaction."

"You're not alone," Yang replied, smiling. "I didn't figure Weiss'd be so weak against cute puppies."

"Did you not see how she reacts to your sister?" Sapphire asked.

"Good point," Yang conceded.

"You ever get told that Rose and that pup-" Sapphire began.

"Yes, a lot," Yang cut across him. "And it's cute and all, but I've unhinged jaws for less; it's kind of a big sister's privilege to be able to say stuff like that."

"Fair enough," Sapphire replied, walking up to the dog. Standing next to Weiss, he observed her expression as she looked at her team leader holding the puppy. "Hmm… It's fatal if you look at them together, huh."

"What're you talking about?" Ruby asked, completely oblivious to how Weiss looked so red in the face she might explode.

"Y-yeah, I have no idea what you're talking about," Weiss vehemently and shamelessly denied, turning away from Sapphire's accusing stare.

"So we've been told," Yang added to Sapphire's statement.

"Great minds think alike," Sapphire said.

"Foolish minds seldom differ," Weiss jabbed, still avoiding his gaze.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to reach a different conclusion from mine then," Sapphire challenged, grabbing Weiss's head, turning it forcefully and holding it in place so that she could only stare at Ruby. And Zwei. At Ruby holding Zwei.

"I think we've found the melting point of ice," Sapphire addressed the room at large, feeling the heat through his fingers as Weiss blushed an even deeper shade of red. Ruby looked confused beyond words as to what was happening in front of her.

"Melting point of _Weiss_, you mean," Yang added with a smirk, giving him a hi five as Sapphire held out his palm.

"But to think you'd be able to send dogs like this," Sapphire chose a new topic, letting go of a weak-kneed Weiss. "Genius."

"Are you a dog person?" Ruby asked, still cuddling Zwei. Weiss settled for staring out the window.

"Well, yeah," Sapphire replied. "You hardly see anyone bringing a cat to a fight."

"Er…" Yang stammered. "I think we're on different pages here."

"Its small size is very useful for hiding," Sapphire commented, giving Zwei a thorough visual examination. "It'll be harder to hit a small, moving target as well. How fast can it rip out an enemy's throat?"

"What? Zwei would never do something like that!" Ruby exclaimed in horror, hugging him tightly and shielding him from Sapphire. "Zwei's a pet!"

"Person-Eating Threat?" Sapphire questioned. "Or did you mean People-Attacking Terminator?"

"She means a household pet," Yang explained, landing a chop on the back of his head. "It's a harmless animal raised by people, not an acronym for a type of weapon."

"Oh, so you eat it after domesticating it?" Sapphire asked. "That would explain the heap of canned food- Okay, maybe not," he added quickly, as he felt the tip of a rapier on the back of his neck and Crescent Rose's blade on the side.

"Don't you see how cute he is?" Ruby asked, shoving Zwei in Sapphire's face.

Sapphire was about to reply with something that would probably have made the rapier dig into his body, but fortunately he managed to spot Blake cowering in a corner, peeking out from an upper bunk. The look in his eyes shifted in an instant.

"Yeah, you may be right," he said, holding Zwei in his hands. "Hey, Blake, what do you think?"

"S-stay back!" Blake ordered, backing into the wall as Sapphire lifted Zwei high enough to be on the upper bunk.

"But don't you see how cute he is?" Sapphire asked innocently, causing Blake to jump down from the bed and subsequently onto the other upper bunk. Sapphire pursued. "Come on now; you're fine with Rose, aren't you?"

"T-that and this are two different things!" Blake denied. "K-keep it away from me!"

"But he wants to play with you!" Sapphire insisted, placing Zwei on the bed but not yet letting go of him. "Don't you feel sorry for the poor little thing?"

"S-Sapphire, I'm warning you," Blake threatened, sounding about as convincing as Ruby when she was lying. "I-if you let go of that-"

"What?" Sapphire asked. "Let go? Sure."

Sapphire was certain he was not the only one in the room who did not know Blake could squeal like that.

* * *

><p>Velvet was not sure what she was seeing, but being confused by Team RWBY's shenanigans was nothing out of the ordinary.<p>

It was not the first time she had seen Blake look peeved, but to think she could produce such a hostile aura was something entirely new. That was not mentioning the fact that Weiss looked especially angry about something as well. Their combined rage if converted into raw energy could probably fuel that new Atlesian Paladin-290 battlesuit for several years without fail.

She had also never seen Sapphire carry that much luggage around. No, scratch that; she had never seen _anyone _carry that much luggage around.

After the fiasco yesterday (which resulted in a half-broken window, several destroyed cans of dog food and a miniature tornado), Weiss and Blake decided to have Sapphire – the main culprit for their sufferings – 'atone for his sins' by being their personal slave for a week. Being the fair and just girls that they were, they naturally offered him a choice, and Sapphire was wise enough to value his life and symbol of manhood (which was suggested for removal by Yang, who thought it would be fun to join in on making him suffer).

"You don't even need half of this stuff," Sapphire complained, sitting in on the lecture because he could not escape.

"A lady has many needs," Weiss replied loftily.

"You guys come up with really weird ideas," Sapphire groaned. "Next thing you know you'll be holding a rock concert in Beacon with the other three."

"Don't be ridiculous," Weiss snapped. "And hush, slave; the lecture's starting."

Sapphire groaned, swearing in five different languages he hoped no one else understood. The hopes were pretty much dashed when he saw Velvet cover all four of her ears.

* * *

><p>"Ah, do wait," Oobleck called out as he dismissed the class. "Mr. Fall, was it? May I have a word?"<p>

"Yes, please," Sapphire replied gratefully, much to Weiss' and Blake's annoyance. "I mean, of course, sir."

"I understand that you're a bit of a special case as a student here," Oobleck said after the last student left, leaving just the two of them. "How're you holding up, young man?"

"As well as I can be," Sapphire replied halfheartedly.

"Splendid! Most splendid!" Oobleck replied, taking a sip of coffee before rushing into Sapphire's face in a quick blur. "It's heartening to see a young man such as yourself so knowledgeable in history! Your peers should certainly learn from your example!"

_And make you look better, _Sapphire thought, but chose to keep it to himself.

"So, young child," Oobleck went on. "Do you want to be a Huntsman?"

"No," Sapphire replied immediately without a hint of remorse. "I'm sure you heard about it from the headmaster already, but I'm a soldier. That's all I'll ever be."

"And why would you be something like that?" Oobleck asked, his expression unreadable.

"Because I have nothing besides fighting," Sapphire replied, trying to figure out what his intention was in asking that question.

"And why is that so?" Oobleck pressed on. "Why do you have to fight? What're you fighting against?"

That made Sapphire pause and think for a few seconds, not about the man's true intentions, but about his own answer.

"The world," he replied eventually. He waited for Oobleck to prompt him, but none came so he just went on regardless. "The world is wrong, and I hate it. It took everything I ever held dear, so I fight it. That's all."

"So you wish to partake in battle without the desire to fight for justice?"

"There's no such thing as justice," Sapphire snapped. He was beginning to question his idiocy for letting himself get baited into talking, but he did not have the time for common sense right now. "Nothing in this world is right or worth defending, so I won't choose to side with anyone. Do you think protecting people from Grimm is justice? What a joke. It's not just them; humans, Faunus and Grimm are all monsters in equal measure, simply donning different guises.

"Look at history," he went on savagely. "It's filled with blood, and who were the ones who spilled it all? The Grimm aren't the worse murderers; the ones who are guilty are the very people who make up this world. The Southern Massacre, The War, Menagerie, The Faunus Rights Revolution, the creation of the White Fang and the very humans who forced them to turn it into a terrorist organization – do you see a justice in that? Do you see a justified cause to defend in mindless slaughters that rob children of their families and innocent bystanders of their lives?"

Oobleck said nothing as he put down his mug, looking at Sapphire with undivided attention.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Sapphire questioned. "You're teaching these kids. You're training more monsters to kill and destroy the world through sheer violence, all in the name of a cheap justice set upon pushing the blame to the creatures that appear mindless to you."

"Is that what you truly think?" Oobleck asked, completely unfazed by his accusations. "Because your words are empty, child; you haven't nearly enough conviction to back them up. There was nothing but sorrow on your face while you lamented, and why is that? It is because your inability to change the world has created a deeply-rooted frustration in you, and your lack of faith in it has made you an isolated, sad existence. One man can never hope to change the world, Sapphire. Mankind has made mistakes, yes, but it has also withstood the tests of time and survived to this day because we combined our strengths and fought together.

"Do you think Huntsmen and Huntresses exist just to kill monsters?" he asked. "We don't take up arms because we want to, boy. We turn our bodies into weapons and carry arms to stand on an even ground with the Grimm, because in order to fight monsters, you must possess the strength of one. We exist to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and we defend our beliefs with the sin of spilling blood. It's not a glorious job, but it keeps the light going strong. I'm sure you would have thought this at some point in time:

"'They should not have died'. It is the feeling when you look back at the scars of tragedy that makes you find the strength to protect the present and the future."

Sapphire clenched his fists. He refused to let himself believe that he agreed with Oobleck's words; after all, he did not have that right. Oobleck was a Huntsman who defended the world, while he was a mercenary who would spill an ocean of blood just for money. What similarities could they possibly have, and what consensus could they possibly reach? If anything, the only possible point they could agree on was that if they continued to live by their ideals, they would eventually clash on the battlefield.

"You may think the world is wrong," Oobleck said, taking a sip of coffee before heading for the door at a normal walking speed. "But the fact that you fight it because of that means you have your own justice to protect. Remember that, and hold on tightly to it."

As Sapphire stared at the ground, the man who had braved the sites of countless tragedies said:

"That said, having a student this well-versed and interested in history makes me happy, as a teacher, a history geek, as well as a fellow Huntsman."

When the last word finally registered, Oobleck was already gone. Sapphire sighed, sitting down on the stairs as he rested his forehead on one palm.

"Huntsman, huh," he muttered.

* * *

><p><strong>So, yeah. I couldn't resist putting in Zwei. I mean, he's a main character, you know? <strong>

**Sapphire's conversation with Oobleck turned out to be more serious than expected (I planned for it to be lighthearted), and I didn't realize how much focus I was putting into it until after I finished it. Well, with this and Ozpin's words, I guess it's safe to let Sapphire have some time to think for now.**

**I certainly have not forgotten who this arc revolves around, so do rest assured about that. ****And yes, I made up some historic events here among the canon ones. **

**Till next chapter, my dear readers!**


	24. 24 - Preparations

**Chapter 24 is here!**

**And like the title suggests, this is the preparation stage. You probably know this already, but the finale of this arc takes place at the concert itself. Big problems to be solved before then; let's see if they make it in time. **

**Special thanks to CC-2224 Commander Cody – the kindhearted reader who wanted to see Sapphire burn in the pits of eternal suffering – for the idea at the end of the chapter!**

* * *

><p>She shivered. She told herself that it was the cold, but the night was not forgiving enough to grant her that reprieve. She had no idea why she was so bothered by it, but his refusal weighed heavily on her chest.<p>

Even when Jaune told her that Team JNPR could not make it, Weiss had felt a little disappointed at worst. When Neptune turned her down, however, she was not sure how to feel.

Why was she so bothered? They were not lovers or anything, so she should have no reason to feel that way. On some level, Weiss was aware that this was her first actual crush, and that she should not be so bothered simply because he did not reciprocate her feelings. So why was she so worried regardless?

She knew he was different. He was definitely special. He was someone much stronger than she was, and he always looked so confident. He was what she wanted to be. If anything, he was one of the few people Weiss both admired and envied in equal measure.

But he had no interest in her. She may have been a Schnee – a supposed elite – but she was mediocre. Why on Remnant would someone like Neptune even bother with someone subpar who could not hope to be at the level he was at? The only people he would possibly were someone like Pyrrha. Heck, even Ruby, Yang and Blake would make better choices; even they possessed qualities far beyond Weiss's – qualities she could never hope to have.

Shaking her head to rid those time-wasting thoughts, no matter how truthful they were, Weiss got to her feet, facing the familiar dimly-lit lecture hall again.

With shaky lips, the fragile Ice Princess began to sing.

* * *

><p>"Weiss?"<p>

She could hear someone's voice in the distance, but could not tell who it was with her eyes closed. The mysterious voice felt blurry, as though it came from a radio that someone was constantly altering the volume, from loud to soft and back to loud.

"Why—i-i-eiss?" It was really odd listening to someone call out her name like that. She wondered if the dolt knew how to say her name properly at all. Wait; why did she use the word 'dolt'? That word was reserved for a particular buffoon on her team.

"Wai-i-ice!" that voice was starting to get on her nerves. Not only did the owner of that mellow voice drag out her name, she had decided to make fun of it. As soon as Weiss decided to open her eyes, Myrtenaster was going to suddenly malfunction and most tragically impale someone without her knowledge. Her holding it would be sheer coincidence then.

Satisfied with her perfect crime, Weiss Schnee opened her eyes reluctantly to look at the foolish woman who would be drawing her last breaths.

She had beautiful silver eyes. It would be a shame to stab through those eyeballs, so maybe she should settle for her forehead – that huge forehead that looked like it was asking to be flicked by Weiss's finger. Maybe she should stab the chest instead. Yes, the chest would be a good place to start; it was far too big, or maybe it was just Weiss's that were too sm-

No, that was not it. That could not be it. Weiss told herself to focus; this was a woman who had insulted her name. She deserved no pity, and should be eliminated.

"You're finally awake!" Ruby exclaimed happily. Weiss groaned. Those puppy dog eyes should be illegal.

"How long was I out?" Weiss mumbled.

"About half an hour," Blake replied. "You slept through the thrilling conclusion of Professor Port's epic tale."

"Well, you're not the only one," Yang added, tilting her head towards where Jaune was sprawled over the desk, snoring away while Pyrrha watched with a slight smile on her face.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Weiss grumbled, packing up her things.

"You just looked so comfortable sleeping, so we didn't…" Ruby's voice trailed off at Weiss's glare. "And you looked… so we…"

"She wanted to say she didn't want to wake you because you looked so exhausted lately," Sapphire translated.

"Why are you here?" Weiss snapped at the former mercenary.

"Well _excuse_ me, princess," Sapphire replied. "You and Blake were the ones who made me carry your sh-"

"Are you sure you're alright, Weiss?" Blake asked. "You look even worse than I did when I… you know…"

"Don't worry, Blake," Weiss assured her. She had seen Blake when the Faunus refused to rest in her search for Torchwick at first, and if she looked worse right now, she must really be a mess. "I won't tire myself out."

"Such convincing words," Sapphire said sarcastically. "Do we need to have the flashing talk again?"

"No, we don't," Weiss replied resolutely, before spotting the weird looks her teammates were giving her. "It's not what you're thinking, you perverted trio!"

"I would like to object, Weiss," Blake spoke up. "I don't want to be put up there with Yang when it comes to being perverse."

"Hey!" Yang protested. "At least I don't read a book called 'Ninjas in'- mmph!"

"Well, at least snowflake's still got her bite," Sapphire commented as Yang fought hard against Blake's iron claw and its grip over her mouth. "Let's leave before Valkyrie fires that grenade."

"Good call," Ruby agreed, dashing for the door just as Nora stood over Jaune, Magnhild at the ready.

* * *

><p>"You sure you're alright, Weiss?" Ruby asked for the umpteenth time.<p>

"Yes, I'm fine, Ruby," Weiss replied exasperatedly. "If you ask again, I'm going to flick your forehead."

"When will you be back?" Yang asked while her sister cowered behind her.

"If it all goes smoothly, by nine or ten tonight," Weiss answered with a hint of annoyance. "Luckily the concert hall is quite near Beacon; otherwise the journey would be unbearable."

"Figures the lead performer is the one checking to make sure everything's ready," Sapphire wondered aloud. "Winter needs to sort out the priorities properly."

"My sister knows what she's doing just fine," Weiss defended. "I have to do this; it's the only way to make sure everything is flawless."

"Take care, Weiss," Blake said. "I'll sort through the notes you'll need in the meantime."

"Thanks, Blake," Weiss replied with a smile. "Glad to know there's someone besides me who values education."

Smirking at the guilty looks on Ruby' and Yang's faces, the white-haired heiress boarded the helicopter.

* * *

><p>Sapphire sat alone in the cafeteria, staring holes into the concert's brochure. He was still waiting for Team JNPR's reply, and his plans had to change depending on how many people he had with him. His training had been pointless thus far as well; whenever he thought about actually killing Mercury, his resolve wavered, and Ozpin' and Oobleck's words certainly did nothing to help him either.<p>

"Saph!"

Looking up from the useless piece of paper, Sapphire stared as a debris-covered Team JNPR approached him. Unsurprisingly, Nora was the only one who seemed happy about it.

"We were looking for you," Jaune said, still trying to brush some dust off his clothes. "Ren and Nora have an announcement to make."

"Underage marriage," Sapphire muttered under his breath. He caught a glimpse of Pyrrha stifling a laugh out of the corner of his eyes.

"We're all coming with you," Ren stated plainly. "All four members of Team JNPR will lend you our strength. But I have one condition," he added, just as Sapphire was about to reply. "My priority is Nora's safety. If I deem it necessary, I may even abandon the mission to protect her."

"That goes double for me!" Nora chipped in, glomping Ren like he was a giant plushy. "If you disagree, I'll break your legs!"

"That's fine," Sapphire sighed. "Your duties are largely just patrolling about anyway. But now that we're all confirmed aboard, we can get down to business."

"Right!" Jaune said enthusiastically, looking excited for a few seconds before becoming confused. "So, uh… What do we do?"

"For the time being, nothing," Sapphire replied anticlimactically. "We'll discuss the finer details when I'm… when I'm ready with some of my preparations. For now, you guys just focus on training; you're going to need it if the situation gets hairy."

"Wait; you have no plan?" Jaune asked incredulously.

"I believe I've already filled you guys in on the plan the last time," Sapphire reminded him. "For now, just shut up and leave me be."

"Hey, wai-" Jaune called out, but Sapphire had already left.

* * *

><p>Jaune was not one for breaking school rules, but he figured since he was looking for Sapphire, it was justified. At least, he hoped it would be.<p>

"What're you doing?" Sapphire's voice called out from behind him. "I thought the Emerald Forest was off-limits to students outside of class."

"How'd you-?" Jaune began.

"I put some simple sensors here and there," Sapphire replied. "I'm not stupid enough to break in here and not be prepared for unexpected visitors. Didn't expect it to be you, though."

"I have a favor to ask," Jaune said, immediately getting to the point; he could sense that Sapphire was going to ask why he was not with his girlfriend, and with his previous experiences he knew Sapphire was very skilled with derailing a conversation. "I want you to train me."

"I'm going to Forever Fall next time," Sapphire groaned under his breath before addressing Jaune again. "Didn't you say you trained with your girlfriend on the roof at night?"

"Yeah, but Pyrrha's been busy lately," Jaune replied. "She's got a bunch of extra credit stuff for Goodwitch and Peach, so I didn't want to bother her so much if I could. I figured since you didn't attend classes… Er, well, you know."

"Fine," Sapphire relented. "I'm the one who asked you to take part in this mission after all. I owe you that much. Draw your weapon and come at me."

"Alright!" Jaune said, unsheathing his sword and kicking off the ground hard.

* * *

><p>Jaune Arc was a man familiar with defeat. He had lost to Cardin a few times, to Pyrrha more times than he could count, and now to Sapphire. It did not do wonders for his pride as he lay on the floor panting and aching.<p>

"Okay, lesson time," Sapphire announced, throwing him a bottle of water and sitting down next to him. "I don't know if anyone told you this before, but you're too aggressive; you put too much focus in attacking without thinking about defense."

"Y-yeah, I think Pyrrha mentioned that before," Jaune replied.

"You rely too much on your arm strength," Sapphire continued. "It's not practical since your weapon is a shield and sword; you're going to be wielding the sword with one hand most of the time. If you forget about your shield, you're going to lose against anyone who uses a two-handed weapon like that jackass Winchester. Actually, scratch that; you'll lose to anyone who's familiar with how to use their own weapon."

"What do I do?" Jaune asked. "Pyrrha and I have worked on my technique but…"

"Yeah I can see that," Sapphire said. "That's not bad, but you need to pay attention to what advantages and disadvantages your weapon of choice has."

"My Crocea Mors?" Jaune asked. Sapphire nodded.

"One-handed swords, no matter how durable, are light," he said. He had gone through this thought process a lot as a weapons nut more than as a mercenary after all. "That means you'll never match two-handed weapons in strength, but you can make up for it with speed. However, because you only have one sword, you'll be a lot slower in attacking than dual-wielders like Blake and me. That being said, you still have a degree of flexibility from using one hand. Now you just need to factor in the shield and turn it into an offensive barrier instead of a purely defensive wall."

"How do you do that?" Jaune asked, getting to his feet as Sapphire took his shield.

"You learn to bide your time," Sapphire answered. "Instead of attacking blindly, know how to use this as more than a plate of metal supporting your arm. Strike me."

Jaune obeyed, lifting his sword and bringing it down as hard as he could. The moment his blade made contact with it, the large shield suddenly rushed forward and pushed him back, disarming him and forcing him onto his rear.

"When your enemy attacks your shield, use your body weight and push them back," Sapphire said, pulling the natural blonde to his feet. "Usually enemies with two-handed weapons will try to hold the position and overpower you, so you can just push them back. If you bend your knees and push your shield upwards from a lower position, it'll be better though not required. But if it's a single hit and your enemy pulls away, you need to predict when the attack will land and time your thrust with that. Practice it with Nikos."

It was a peculiar feeling for Jaune as he listened to Sapphire talk about fighting techniques. It was like listening to a lecture, but it was one that he could actually follow properly. It was also rather surprising to see Sapphire talk so enthusiastically.

"But what if I can't push them back?" Jaune asked. He had a vague feeling this was what he would be like in class if he actually revised more beforehand.

"That's when the side-step comes in," Sapphire explained. "If your opponent is bringing down their weapon from above, you can move to the side like this, and then turn your shield to the side. It'll make your opponent's attack slide down the flat side of your shield. The more force your opponent uses, the more it'll throw off their balance with their own momentum and they'll fall forward spectacularly. Practice this: turning your whole body in an anti-clockwise manner, using your shield to deflect attacks to the left while you stab the sword in your right hand towards your left. It should catch them in the chest or mid-section."

"Er… Okay," Jaune managed, nodding slowly.

"You look confused," Sapphire commented.

"No, I'm fine," Jaune insisted. "I just didn't expect so much… words."

"What did you expect theory to be like?" Sapphire asked. "Or did you prefer if I literally carve the lesson into your body? Because unless Nikos has a thing for scars-"

"Okay, okay I get the point," Jaune said hastily. "Thanks for your help."

"You need something else?" Sapphire asked, when Jaune stayed where he was.

"Actually, I wanted to ask," Jaune admitted. "What's up? You seemed kinda irritable today."

"Don't I always?" Sapphire asked, shrugging.

"Ah, um," Jaune said awkwardly, catching on. "I don't mean to pry, y'know…"

A very lengthy silence followed, with neither men saying anything or moving. Jaune seemed nervous, while Sapphire just looked bored.

"Ah, well," the black-haired one broke the silence first. "I've got a question for you, Arc."

"It's Jaune," Jaune corrected. "Short, sweet, rolls off the-"

"Yeah, I get it," Sapphire cut him off. Being corrected once by the Amazon was already enough. "Anyway, back to the question: when in battle, who would you look out for the most in your team?"

Jaune took a few moments to process that, and another few seconds to stare blankly at Sapphire. The former mercenary was just about to tell him to forget it when the blonde finally spoke up.

"Myself, I guess," he said. "I mean, it's only logical, right?"

"And why is that?" Sapphire asked. He was sure Jaune's reply was going to be Pyrrha.

"Because if I don't, how will I protect my friends?" Jaune asked in return. "I-I mean, I love Pyrrha, and I'd give my life to protect her, Nora and Ren, but if I don't take care of myself first that'll just mean they would be burdened with that responsibility instead right?"

Sapphire did not speak. Jaune, the supposed incompetent fighter who was surrounded by close friends – much like how Sapphire used to be – managed to derive the answer that Ozpin had spoken of: to see oneself before they could protect others. He had reached it with such ease, but Sapphire had not even come close to it despite being much stronger.

"I know I'm weak," Jaune admitted, looking a little depressed. "But that's why I have to look out for myself so they won't have to risk their lives protecting me. It's the natural thing to do for your friends, right?"

Sapphire smiled. It was a natural thing to Jaune, but it was by no means the natural thing to him. If he had not chosen the path of a mercenary, would he have found that answer as well? Even though the answer alone did not help him strengthen his resolve, Sapphire began to understand a little of why Ozpin really wanted him here at Beacon; there were some interesting people here indeed.

"Yeah, I suppose," he replied, walking back to the school. "Now get going, Arc; I'm sure your girlfriend's waiting."

* * *

><p>He leaned against the wooden door, listening to Weiss's singing again. It was barely nine, but the heiress had already returned, practicing the songs she would eventually be singing at the concert.<p>

"She said not to push too hard, princess," he muttered, shaking his head.

Distant footsteps drew his attention, and Sapphire readied his weapons as he hid in the shadows. He almost attacked the stranger, too, if not for the fact that Weiss was hopelessly attracted to him.

"What're you doing here at this hour, Vasilias?" he asked, making Neptune jump.

"I-I-er- Wait, why're YOU here?" he fired back. The fact that he controlled his voice enough to whisper told Sapphire all he needed to know, though.

"Peeping on Schnee?" Sapphire asked, tilting his head towards the lecture hall. "Weiss," he corrected hastily.

"O-of course not," Neptune replied. "I-I'm just – fine. I came here to see her practice, okay?"

"Nothing wrong with that, just creepy," Sapphire commented, turning back to the lecture hall. He neglected to comment that he was doing the same thing. "You couldn't wait till the concert, huh?"

"Uh… I'm not going to the concert," Neptune pointed out.

"What?" Sapphire spun around to stare at him. "Why not?"

"It just didn't feel right, y'know?" Neptune shrugged. "I mean, I'm cool and all, but concerts aren't really my thing."

"You turned her down because of that?" Sapphire asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Neptune replied with a nervous laugh. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's hard to look, you know?"

"No I don't," Sapphire deadpanned. "Do enlighten me."

"It's out of my league, okay?" Neptune raised his voice a little. "I try hard to look cool and all, but these high class stuff – I can't do it, alright? Weiss is able to do all those things and she's amazing, but looking at her just makes me feel so… so common, you know?"

"So you turned down her invitation and goodwill because you feel inferior when you're watching her?" Sapphire asked. "You refused to see her perform because it made you feel mediocre? Then why did you come and watch her practice?"

"Because she's dazzling," Neptune replied. Unlike Jaune, he did not go all jittery admitting things like that even though he was nervous. "She's amazing when she's practicing, and when I look at her when she's practicing, and when she's putting in all that effort, it feels as if… as if she was normal like I am."

"It's all hard work," Sapphire offered tiredly. "If you really felt that way, just be honest and tell her."

"Yeah, so I've been told," Neptune said with a wry smile. "By another blue-eyed guy, no less."

"You have no idea what those words would do for her," Sapphire said. "So go tell her honestly. It's that simple. And go to the concert, dingus; all her preparation would be for naught if the people she invites are just going to see her practice and not the real thing."

He made a mental note cursing himself for saying that when he had no intention of actually sitting through it. Oh, and he had made Team JNPR miss it too. He was glad that Neptune did not know about it.

"Yeah, I guess I should," Neptune agreed. "But not today. I still need some… mental preparation."

"Good luck," Sapphire offered him a small smile as Neptune turned to go. "And I'm sure you'll find that the actual performance will be far more stunning, too; maybe it'll give you the courage to admit things then."

"Yeah, got it. Hey, uh… Thanks," Neptune managed awkwardly. "You're a pretty cool guy, Sapphire."

"Alright, don't lie to my face," Sapphire replied, waving him goodbye.

Neptune held back a laugh. Those two blue-eyed men _were_ similar.

* * *

><p>When Weiss finally returned to the dorm room, she was so exhausted she did not even notice that Sapphire was awake, and that his glowing blue eyes followed her all the way until she collapsed onto the bed. Sleep had never felt more welcome in her memory before, and it came all too swiftly.<p>

Spotting his chance, Sapphire got up and scattered cookie crumbs all over the heiress, who was already sleeping like a log. Then, very gently, he shook Ruby's shoulders to get her somewhat awake.

"Mmph…?" Ruby mumbled, and in the dimly lit room Sapphire could tell she was still half asleep.

"Come with me, Ruby Rose," Sapphire whispered, waving a chocolate chip cookie in front of her face. Like a zombie, Ruby rose from her position and followed after the scent. "I'm Count Chocolatus, from the Planet Bisquit. I have come to take you to my world."

"Cookie…" she mumbled, climbing down and sniffing around. Sapphire guided her to the bottom bunk, where Weiss was snoozing away peacefully. "Cookie… Weiss…?"

"No, it's just a giant gingerbread cookie shaped like Weiss," Sapphire whispered, desperately hoping she would not start biting the heiress.

"Cookie Weiss…" Ruby climbed onto the bed, snuggling with Weiss. With her arms around the older girl's waist, the leader of Team RWBY soon fell asleep as well.

"She's going to rip you limb from limb when she wakes up," Blake's hushed whisper came from the other upper bunk. With Zwei around, she was forced to kick Yang off the upper bunk for her own safety.

"You're an accomplice, so you're in on this too," Sapphire reminded her. "If you want to stop me, you could always just come down."

"I'm not coming down with Zwei down there," Blake hissed.

"Zwei? You mean this cute little-"

"If you even dare to pick him up, I will strangle you with Yang's hair," Blake warned.

"Lighten up, woman," Sapphire whispered, heading to his mattress. "The snowflake could use a bit of better quality rest."

"You're a demon," Blake commented.

"No objections there," Sapphire agreed, briefly wondering how he was going to escape the murderous rampage tomorrow. Looking at the peaceful-looking girls in front of him, however, made him stop worrying about it. It, as Mercury would say, made a good picture.

_Leave the work to us, Weiss_, he thought. _You have a flawless concert to pull off._

* * *

><p><strong>Hmm. A lot of Sapphire lately. Weiss is going to have to get moving with her preparations otherwise she's not going to make it in time for the concert. Let's see what we can do about that.<strong>

**Added a little bit of Neptune in here, though I'm surprised how little of him there is right now.**

**Oh, and R.I.P, Sapphire. Go haunt Commander Cody please.**

**Thanks again, and if you have anything you'd like to suggest or comment, do leave a review or send me a PM!**

**Till next chapter, folks!**


	25. 25 - An Imperfect Answer

**Welcome to chapter 25!**

* * *

><p>Ozpin leaned back on his chair, staring up at the ceiling. It might have been night outside, but it hardly bothered him; one could not even see a hint of fatigue on his enigmatic expression.<p>

Ironwood's warning still weighed on his mind despite his expression remaining stoic. Ozpin was already aware that many people were after his life, so this was not news. However, if his enemies were really sending assailants to Beacon, casualties were certainly likely to be caused.

He had washed his hands of those things, and decided to protect instead of destroy. Beacon was the first step to that salvation, and he had no intention of letting anyone hurt those children. And while he could certainly take them down by himself, there were other more pressing matters that demanded his attention.

There was one other person he had in mind who could handle this. However, Ozpin was not sure if that person was ready. If he went in like this, he would just end up getting himself killed. While considering the next move, Ozpin was interrupted by a sudden phone call. Raising an eyebrow on the caller ID that appeared on the screen, he answered Glynda Goodwitch's call.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Sapphire's gone," Glynda said hurriedly. "Miss Belladonna heard him leave not long ago but wasn't able to find him so she came to report to me-"

"He's heading for Forever Fall," Ozpin replied immediately. At such a perfect timing, there was nowhere else the former mercenary could be heading for. "Stop him, Glynda. Now."

Glynda hung up without a word. Ozpin stared at the screen of his phone for a few more moments, lost in thought. If this sudden order to assassinate Ozpin had been leaked to Ironwood on purpose, then it might have been a ploy to get Ozpin away from Beacon. The conflict between him choosing to stay at the school and risk the students' safety and choosing to leave and fight, letting them have what they wanted was probably the goal. Even if by accident, Sapphire had actually helped him make his choice. Now all he could do was to have faith that he and Glynda could handle the situation by themselves.

"What're you really after?" he muttered.

* * *

><p>Weiss had the occasional habit of sleeping in. It was a bad habit that manifested particularly often whenever she spent most of the night awake. Today, however, she woke relatively early.<p>

She thought she was dreaming at first. For one thing, there was some kind of shutter sound clicking in the background, and for another she smelled like cookies. Chocolate chip, and probably the kind they served in the school cafeteria. Though for some peculiar reason, she also smelled like roses.

There was a strange pressure around her waist, and something warm pressed against her back. It felt oddly comfortable, even though it was still incredibly strange. Brushing it off as a weird dream, Weiss tried to fall back into slumber.

"Yang, I don't think you should…" someone's voice said in the distance, hushed as though in a whisper. It sounded familiar, but Weiss's hazy mind could not process the identity.

"What; let this chance go? Never!" someone else's voice replied. This one sounded very amused. Must be a blonde. How did she come to that conclusion?

Turning around, Weiss rested on her other arm, hoping that it would somehow change her dream. That movement triggered a small moan in front of her, making Weiss half open her eyes.

Petite lips. A rather small, round face. Black hair with red streaks. Those pieces of information failed to register for a moment, but when they finally did, the heiress's face underwent a color change faster than the speed at which she rejected Jaune's confessions, which was saying a lot.

Pale. Light pink. Red. Scarlet. Magenta. Weiss was sure that at some point in time, steam was pouring out of her ears and her eyes had never been opened wider in her life, but that was not the problem here. The problem was-

"Oh boy," Yang commented, stuffing her fingers into her ears. Blake said something along the lines of 'not fair' before diving under the covers, being unable to cover all her ears with two hands.

"RUBY ROSE!" Weiss screeched, loud enough to wake the entire student population of Beacon.

* * *

><p>Ruby Rose was very well versed in what the typical angry woman looked like. She was very familiar with what a <em>really <em>angry woman looked like, having seen Yang when she lost some hair. She did not think that a person could look even madder than that, and she certainly did not expect that Weiss Schnee of all people would be directing such a look at her. Well, maybe she did.

Weiss sat on the edge of her bed, towering over a subdued Ruby who sat with her knees folded beneath her thighs. Ruby could swear that there was a literal tiger looming behind the heiress. The sight was imposing and frightening enough to make Zwei sit down next to his owner obediently without as much as a yip, waiting for Weiss to explode.

"Now then," Weiss declared, her strict tone making Ruby (and Zwei) flinch. Maybe it was a dragon that was behind her instead. "Care to explain what's going on?"

"Eh…" Ruby searched her brain desperately for an answer, but nothing came up. "I don't know… I just ended up in that position… When I realized it, you were screaming my… face off…"

"And WHY is that?" Weiss demanded. "And WHY do I smell like cookies?"

"Blake," Yang whispered to the cat Faunus who was still on the upper bunk. "Is Sapphire behind this?"

"Yeah," Blake replied. "He sprinkled the cookie crumbs on her in the middle of the night to trick Ruby."

"Why am I not surprised?" Yang whispered back, rolling her eyes. "Say, what's that you're holding?"

"He left a note," Blake replied, hastily hiding the other one as she passed Yang the first.

"_Tell Weiss she needs to lighten up a bit_," Yang read off the scrap in a hushed tone. "_Don't take it like it's the end of the world and relax…_ Wow, this is his idea of helping her relax? She's going to burst a blood vessel. I mean, it's genius and all, but still."

"That's why I'm not telling her yet," Blake replied.

In truth, there was another piece of paper left by Sapphire, but it was addressed to Blake specifically. Sapphire, who knew that Blake would notice him leaving, had left that message outside the door for her to find. It read:

_A mission came in. Be back by noon; help make up an excuse. I have to do this alone._

"Blake!" Weiss's voice cut sharply into her thoughts, making Blake's Faunus ears twitch in surprise. "Where's Sapphire?"

"Why do you guys keep coming to me about where he is?" Blake wondered aloud. "He… um… He said he wanted to avoid the volcano eruption, so he went to look for a bunker to hide in."

"SO IT _WAS_ HIM!" Weiss bellowed, her rage levels skyrocketing. The dragon behind her was now replaced by a gigantic four-faced deity wrapped in flames. If one looked close enough, her ice-blue eyes seemed to be flaring up as well. "I'm going to murder him."

The second sentence was spoken in a normal, conversational tone, but it made everyone else shudder nonetheless. There was something really horrifying in Weiss's voice right now.

"And of course, since you're all my lovely teammates," Weiss continued with a glorious smile, picking up a trembling Zwei (who was so scared he did not even look around for help) and stroking him gently. "You'll help me keep it a secret, right?"

Ruby, Yang and Blake gulped. No one would ever find Sapphire's body now.

* * *

><p>Cinder jumped when she heard that distant yell. It had been so quiet all this time that she had to strain her senses to pick up any and all sounds. When she heard that shout from the dorms, no matter how far away it was, it startled her in the middle of her infiltration.<p>

Embarrassed that she had been distracted by something so inconsequential, Cinder retreated into the shadows. She could not advance yet, so she had to stay hidden until the time was right.

"_Enemy engaged,_" a voice, heavily obscured by static, reported over the earbud she had. _"Tracks were rigged to blow. Alpha team-"_

The rest of the sentence was lost in a burst of static. The enemy he was talking about was moving fast, which was only to be expected. What was important was the fact that the two sides were fighting.

Smirking confidently, Cinder ran through the hallways silently, taking extra care to avoid the guards. Now that she was accustomed to this place, sneaking around was a breeze. Without Ozpin around, there was no one who could stop her-

"Good morning," Ozpin said loudly, standing upright in front of the elevator doors. That elevator was the only way up to his office, and Cinder was well aware of that. What she could not comprehend was why Ozpin was here; who was fighting the mercenaries in his place? "I know you're there, so why not we talk in the open?"

"You're more cautious than you look," Cinder said pleasantly, walking into the light and facing him. Naturally, she still had her espionage suit on, but this time she also had a wig. Not that she was certain it would fool someone like Ozpin, but she played his game; letting the opponent think that they had the upper hand was key to catching them off-guard.

"I'm surprised you knew I was associated with that organization," Ozpin replied casually. "I'm sure they were more than happy to be able to get money to kill me."

"Perhaps you should have greeted them personally," Cinder offered, giving him a smile.

"I might have," Ozpin admitted. "If it wasn't for both of us realizing your true intentions."

"So you sent one of your staff to their doom?" Cinder challenged. "Or perhaps one of your students?"

"He was a former subordinate," Ozpin replied. "Now, would you be so kind as to answer my questions? What might you possibly be looking for in my office, so badly that you required my sudden absence?"

"If I told you, would you give it to me?" Cinder asked with a playful smirk.

"It could be arranged," Ozpin said thoughtfully.

"Thanks," Cinder said, ducking to avoid the blow from the guard closing in on her from behind. Grabbing him by the arm and flinging him forward onto his back, she disappeared around a corner.

Ozpin waited for a few moments, until the sound of a shattering window prompted him to sigh. He doubted she had an accomplice ready in case she was spotted, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Even though that meant he would not be participating in the chase personally.

"Pursue her," he said to the guard rushing up to him, walking into the elevator.

* * *

><p>Sapphire groaned. He tried getting up, but obeyed the signs his body gave him and slumped back down instead. Pain was something he had gotten used to, but every time he ended up feeling it the experience felt like something new.<p>

He could tell someone was approaching from the rustling of the grass. Heck, it could even be a wild Grimm drawn in by the smoke from the derailed train he blew up, but he took no chances. Ignoring his body's protests, Sapphire got to his feet, firing Duskbreak at this new foe.

"I swear," Glynda said exasperatedly, flicking the arrow away with her riding crop almost lazily. "Boys like you are the reason why teaching is such a pain. And setting up so many traps on your way here was really dangerous, too; what if I didn't disarm them and a student walked into them?"

"What're you doing here?" Sapphire asked, sitting back down as he wiped the blood from his forehead that was obscuring his vision.

"What do you think?" Glynda asked. "Did you really believe we'd let you take on these many trained mercenaries by yourself?"

"As a matter of fact, I already have," Sapphire pointed out, his red eyes fading back to blue. "More than half of the idiots are trapped in the train wreckage so they sat this one out, though."

"I understand that they're from the same organization you came from," Glynda said. "But don't you think that it's too reckless to face them by yourself?"

"Well, this is clearly a trick to get the commander out of his fortress," Sapphire shrugged. "And since no one else knows the modus operandi of us mercs, I'm the only poor slob left, right?"

"We're heading back," Glynda said sharply. "You need to get treated and Lifesaver needs-"

"I didn't use it."

Glynda froze.

"You what?" she asked.

"I said I didn't use Lifesaver," Sapphire repeated. "I kept to Neutral Mode all this time."

"But- How-"

"I know I'm not an intellectual, but I have been putting thought into this," Sapphire said, lying down and staring at the periwinkle blue skies peeking through the vermillion leaves of Forever Fall. "I was told protecting others that way was a flaw, y'see. I'm not conceited enough to think I'm perfect, but I didn't really think that that itself was a personality defect. So I pondered it endlessly.

"I couldn't find the answer at first," he admitted. "I considered committing suicide a few times – don't look at me like that; I didn't actually do it – but I settled for staying alive in the end. I was weak, and I had to get strong to k- to fight. So I looked for the answer to that flaw. Do you know who let me find it?"

Glynda did not answer. She was pretty sure she knew what he was going to say, though.

"Those kids," Sapphire finished. "Those little kids pretending to be warriors, calling themselves Huntsman and Huntresses. Seeing them by no means told me I was wrong, but it showed me the right way to go about doing it. Ozpin said I only looked at others, and that was why people around me died. Even so, he didn't say it was wrong to protect others. So why don't I do just that?"

Standing up, he walked slowly past Glynda, towards the direction she had come from. Despite the pain in his body, he was smiling confidently.

"I'll still fight for them," he said. "But now, I know that it's because I want to. I've never thought about what I really wanted, but now I can say I acknowledge I want to fight for them."

He had found a purpose. Glynda knew well that a person fighting pointlessly and a person fighting with a purpose were worlds apart, and that the strength that simply came from will alone was not something that could be ignored. However, the prerequisite for protecting others was that one must defend themselves first. Sapphire might have thought that he had found his sense of self, but it was only something he established after the wellbeing of others. In the end, he still put others before himself.

"They have bright futures," he said, almost sighing as he did so. "They don't need to tread the dark paths where there's no going back. But I won't kill for that purpose, because I don't want to sink back in either. I know who I am now, Goodwitch. That's why I won't let anyone else become like me. I'm fighting selfishly because of my own experiences, because I think I know better. What of it?"

"Don't get so full of yourself, brat," Glynda scolded, although there was a faint smile on her lips. "You're nowhere near experienced enough to handle something like that."

He was not quite there yet, but Sapphire Fall had managed to take another step. For now, that was good enough. Perhaps, with time, he would be able to save his own life with the help of his friends. Glynda could not help but admit defeat at that thought; Ozpin had been right about this one.

Of course, she was never going to let him know that.

* * *

><p>"Whoa whoa whoa!" Sun exclaimed as he and Neptune nearly kicked the door down. "What on Remnant's going on here?!"<p>

Weiss squealed before diving under her covers upon seeing Neptune; she was still in her sleepwear and covered in cookie crumbs. Ruby, Yang and Blake simply stared at the surprise guests at their door.

"We heard a shout," Neptune hastily explained their barging through the door. "Sounded more like a sonic weapon, but we came to check if anything was up. Are you guys alright?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Yang said cheerily with a wave of her hand. "I do have some pictures I'd like to show you, Neptune, so drop by later, kay?"

Neptune could feel the heat of Weiss's gaze from all the way at the door, and she was not even poking her head out from the blankets.

"Say," Sun said, looking around. "Why do I smell another Faunus in here?"

The girls had no idea how to reply to that, so they simply turned to Blake, who facepalmed. The weird spray Sapphire brought in the last time for their infiltration mission was still leaving a lingering bear scent after so long due to Sapphire's excessive dosage, but since no one else on the team noticed anything she had kept it to herself. It failed to escape Sun's nose, though.

"Smells like…" Sun's eyes widened, although whether it was from horror or hurt was uncertain. "A guy…"

"Sun, it's not-" Blake began, but she could not get off the upper bunk; Zwei was still down there.

"I heard Sapphire say something along the lines of this," he muttered in utter horror. "He said Blake was bringing in random guys into the dorm, but I didn't believe him. Holy… he was right…"

"No, it's a misunderstanding!" Blake said in a frustrated tone. "It-it's not like that!"

"Is that why you won't come down from the bunk?" Sun asked. Yang was stifling his laughter as she hid behind Ruby (who, as usual, just looked confused), but he had no time for small details like that right now. "Is it because his smell is still on you from… from…"

"No!" Blake exclaimed, going red in the face as she caught on to his train of thought. "I'm not coming down because… because Zwei-"

"Zwei?" Sun repeated. "Neptune. Do you know any bear Faunus in Beacon by that name?"

"Er, no," Neptune replied. "B-but you can try asking Scar-"

Without letting his partner finish, Sun Wukong sped off in one swift somersault.

"Well, that was awkward," Neptune commented, proceeding to clear his throat. "So, um, Weiss. You free to talk right now?"

"Y-yeah," Weiss replied, her voice muffled by the blanket which she still refused to come out of. "J-just wait outside; I'll be with you in a minute."

* * *

><p>Weiss dusted at her combat skirt awkwardly, waiting for Neptune to speak. For some odd reason, the morning was growing warmer and warmer by the second.<p>

"Hey, um, Weiss," Neptune finally said after what had to be several thousand years. "You know about your concert? Is it alright if I go after all?"

Weiss gaped at him for a few million years, not caring that her mouth was open in a perfect, comical 'O'. Fumbling with her vocabulary, the confident heiress finally managed to find her voice.

"S-sure, of course!" she stuttered. "Y-you're more than welcome to attend! Of course!"

"T-thanks," Neptune replied, letting the atmosphere sink back into the pits of awkward silence again.

"S-so what happened to your urgent business?" Weiss asked, playing with a lock of her hair.

"Ah, that," Neptune looked away guiltily. "A certain blue-eyed friend of yours talked me into making the right decision, and, well, here I am."

Of course. It was Jaune again. Like with the time at the ball, Jaune seemed to have a knack for helping Weiss with her romance. Weiss made a mental note to thank him properly later.

"And, there's something I want to say," Neptune said. "After the performance is finished, I have something important I need to tell you. I-It's kind of a big deal, s-so yeah."

"O-Of course!" Weiss said, her voice a higher pitch than expected. "I-I'll see you after the performance then?"

"Yeah, that'll be great," Neptune walked off, his face filled with relief now that the load was off his chest. "Oh, and Weiss?"

"Yeah?"

"Good luck."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, Weiss. Your problems are far from over, so don't let that get to your head. Tsk, lovestruck heiresses…<strong>

**But wow, lots of smiling in this chapter. And also, yeah I wanted to do that brick joke, so if you still remember where the spray came from, good for you!**

**In case anyone didn't get the somersault part, it's a reference to the Sun Wukong outside of RWBY, whom Sun is based off of. He can travel 54,000 kilometers in one somersault. I'm Chinese (that explains my terrible English too), so I grew up knowing the Monkey King and stuff like that. I'm not a nerd. I think.**

**Whatever! I hope you're enjoying the lighthearted stuff and jokes right now, because unfortunately this arc is reaching its climax soon, and from that point onwards the mood will be more serious. Brace thyselves; we'll soon be 2/5 done with this story.**

**Till next chapter!**


	26. 26 - Imperfection

**Welcome to Chapter 26!**

**Here's announcing a crossover collab with CC-2224 Commander Cody, featuring Sapphire from this story and Simon Alexander from his story 'From Hunted to Hunter'. Look forward to that!**

**And without further ado:**

* * *

><p>"Stop."<p>

The auditorium was soundproof, but above all it made sounds echo loudly inside it. That made his voice booming and imposing, befitting of the stern face he wore.

"Not bad," he said tonelessly as Weiss relaxed, stepping to downstage. "There's improvement, but this is not some random street performance. I hope you realize what's at stake here, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Weiss deadpanned.

"We'll continue after a ten minute break," her instructor went on, clearly displeased. "In the meantime… Lawrence! I want the lights over…"

Sighing to herself, Weiss left the stage and disappeared into the wings.

"Good work out there, Miss Schnee," one of the staff – a girl with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail – said cheerily as she passed her a paper cup filled with some gold liquid. Probably for her throat.

"Thanks," Weiss replied halfheartedly, wiping off her perspiration with a towel.

"It was really good today," the girl said cheerfully. "Everyone could tell you improved greatly since last time. What happened?"

"Is it that weird for me to improve over two days?" Weiss asked snappily before catching on to her own tone. "Sorry; I've had a bad day, that's all."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" the girl replied hastily. "I-it's not weird or anything; it's just that there was so much improvement it was impressive, so I thought maybe you had another instructor at Beacon or something."

"I just had a little bit of help," Weiss said mysteriously, turning away to hide her blush. "From a very cool guy."

"But if you don't mind me saying…" the girl began tentatively. "You still look… stressed. I mean, it's only natural, but maybe you should… relax a little more?"

"I'm fine, Mandy," Weiss replied, managing to remember the girl's name. Oddly enough, snuggling with Ruby actually let her rest up pretty well. Maybe it was because of the scent she had. "I-I'm just nervous. Just a little bit."

It could not be helped. After all, Weiss was a mediocre girl with no particular skills. If you put someone like that into a situation like this, they would have frozen and been rejected outright. The only reason why everyone else – the actual experts – was wasting time on Weiss was because she was a Schnee. There was no other candidate, and they were stuck with her. Her worthlessness was a burden to them as well.

Feeling the wave of negativity returning, Weiss immediately ducked out of sight and into the nearest restroom. She already knew she was weak; there was no need for a pathetic showcase of it in public.

Why was she getting carried away with some meagre improvement? Neptune's words did encourage her to try harder, but the results were still far from satisfactory. Why was she content with hearing such pointless words?

"Focus, Weiss," she muttered savagely to herself. "You're a Schnee. You know what you have to do."

She may not be perfect, but she still had to be miles ahead. Regardless of her actual ability, she had to live up to those ridiculous standards, because to her, those were the only standards to live by.

"You know what you have to do," she repeated.

* * *

><p>"… and the squad lost her shortly after."<p>

"No surprises there," Sapphire replied, grimacing as he tried to sit up on the bed. He was sure the infirmary's beds got harder every time he came in here. Maybe it was the head nurse's way of telling him not to come back. "She's probably more apt at fighting than I am."

"You're saying she's stronger?" Ozpin asked on the other side of the call.

"Possibly," Sapphire conceded, recalling his previous battle with the masked assailant. "If I didn't have the handicap of Lifesaver, I'd probably win, but right now, even after taking on that attack team, I can't be sure I can beat her. Not one-on-one, anyway."

"Not one-on-one?" Ozpin asked. Sapphire thought he actually heard genuine interest in the man's voice, which was supposed to be impossible.

"She's not drastically stronger than I am," Sapphire assessed. "She can generate multiple weapons from Dust, but I have a fairly large arsenal myself. If I get just one helper, I can-"

Sapphire paused. He finally understood the reason for Ozpin's mirth: he – Sapphire Fall, of all people – had just entertained the idea of accepting help in a fight.

"Alright, I get it," he mumbled, receiving an amused chuckled in reply. "No need to rub it in."

"I won't say 'I told you so'," Ozpin pointed out. Sapphire scowled. "I'll leave you to rest up. Good work, Sapphire. You have my gratitude."

He hung up without waiting for a reply, which was fine since Sapphire didn't bother saying anything anyway. The blue-eyed former mercenary sat up on his bed, staring at the ceiling fan as it rotated lazily on the spot.

He had found his own source of strength to combat Mercury, but naturally he had no means to know if that would be sufficient. Training was going to necessary, but another matter arose now that he had made progress with his own: Weiss.

The heiress was facing so many demands from her life and herself that she might as well have been carrying a literal fifty-ton weight on her back around the clock. He wanted to step in to offer some help, some advice, anything, even though it was truly none of his business. Heck, Arc' and Nikos's romance had been none of his business either, but he had interfered anyway.

Even though it had honestly been mostly a prank on his part, Sapphire's plan of making Ruby semi-attack Weiss in her sleep was not without reason. He had seen some instances where sharing a bed between people who were close actually helped with fatigue, although that had largely been between members of the opposite sex. But who knows what would happen if he dared to throw Neptune on her bed (or even worse, become insane enough to do it himself).

Weiss's concerns were probably not unfamiliar to him. Sapphire, who had spent a large part of his life resenting his own weakness, could understand her struggles to an extent. But what he could not understand was the pressure she faced from her own background.

He had not lived in luxury, so he was not familiar with the demands that came with prestige. He did not know what it meant to have to glorify oneself to fit a magnificent image, and frankly, he found the idea ludicrous. It might have been because he had spent most of his life in the shadows, doing nothing but killing and stealing, but he found no reason to improve oneself simply because they had to look perfect. After all, no one bothered looking cool just so their mercenary group could be viewed as rock stars or something.

Yet, Weiss was burdened by that. She was compelled to be better, to be the best, to be exceptional. To her, failure was not an option, much like how a single failure meant death for mercenaries. But why did she have to go so far for something that should not be equivalent in value to her life?

"Mister Fall, you have a visitor," the head nurse said, with a rather fearful tone in her voice. Sapphire briefly wondered who could have possibly-

"Why, hello, my good schoolmate," Weiss greeted with the widest smile he had ever seen. "I heard you were in here so I decided to pay you a visit."

"Er…" Sapphire stammered. There was something very sinister in that smile, and he had half a mind to dive out the window right now. "Now, y'see, Schnee, I-"

"My, my, this certainly won't do," Weiss said in an extremely friendly manner. "I do believe that I have requested most nicely that you call me 'Weiss', have I not?"

"Y-yes you have," Sapphire replied meekly. "Okay, my bad. Um, Weiss, I did not mean for that to happen, but-"

"What on Remnant do you possibly mean?" Weiss asked, her eyes merely slits because of how widely she was smiling. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

"N-now look here," Sapphire reasoned. "I-I'm a patient, and I'm injured, so-"

"So you can't run away."

"Yes," Sapphire conceded. "B-but it also means… Wait, what's that you're holding? Is that salt? Hold on, Weiss, my wounds are-"

The head nurse had her earplugs stuffed into her ears for good measure, which was a stroke of good luck given the following scream.

* * *

><p>"Son of a…" Sapphire panted, sweating buckets as he lay defeated on his bed. A rather satisfied Weiss sat beside him, meticulously tending to her nails. "That was cruel, Weiss. That was absolutely inhuman."<p>

"At least I treated them afterwards," Weiss reasoned. "You should be grateful."

"Yeah, I'm glad you leave me with a body after setting my nerves on fire," Sapphire replied sarcastically. "Okay, I'm sorry! Keep that packet!"

Relaxing again, Sapphire kept his gaze at the ceiling as he shifted gears.

"So are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"Other than being utterly mortified, yes," Weiss replied after a pause. "The experience was traumatizing. I understand your intentions – I would have sliced off your fingers otherwise – I wish you went about it in a less heart attack-inducing way."

"So you're ready for the performance?" Sapphire asked.

"Yes," Weiss replied halfheartedly. The look on Sapphire's face told him he was definitely not deceived. "Okay! I'm nervous, alright?"

"Can I ask you something?" Sapphire asked out of the blue. Weiss hesitated on replying, which ended up giving him the time to speak up. "Why are you trying so hard for this?"

"What?" Weiss asked back icily.

"It's a performance," Sapphire elaborated. "I get that there's your company's image at stake, but is it really worth working yourself half to death for it?"

"If you get it, then there would be no need to ask," Weiss snapped. "Do you have any idea what it means to represent a company like the Schnee Dust Company?"

"No," Sapphire admitted easily. "That's why I asked."

"It's not your average publicity stunt," Weiss said, raising her voice. "It's not some cheap performance you go to and never remember after that. It's a performance to showcase the abilities of the leading company in the world! How can anyone expect anything but the best?!"

"If you know what it is," Sapphire said slowly. "And since you're clear about who you are, why are you so bothered by not being able to perform up to standards? As far as we all know, you are the one who sets the standards in the first place. I may not attend classes and all that, but I've seen your test results. You already are the best."

"That's not enough!" Weiss fired back. "So what if I get the best results?! I still lose in combat to Pyrrha! You're not even a student, and I'd still lose to you if we fought! All these are the minimal requirements, not achievements! I should be the best in absolutely everything, but I'm not! I'm a failure of a Schnee! Now do you see why this is such a big deal?!"

"There're things you shouldn't say," Sapphire pointed out. "If you call your results worthless, then you're stepping all over the effort put in by those who lost to you. How would Rose feel if she heard that? She's stayed up on many nights just to cram for the stuff you know like the back of your hand."

"I can't," Weiss said. "I can't look at other people's problems; why should I when they're all above me?! All of you have something I don't have! All of you are better than me at something! I'm supposed to be perfect, but I'm nothing but common trash when I'm compared to everyone else! I'm supposed to be a Schnee, but I'm the one who's mediocre when compared to the ones who were supposed to be talentless! Those are gaps I can't cross no matter how much hard work I put in! That's why I- I- I put in…"

She started hyperventilating, having lost all control during her outburst. Sapphire waited her out, letting the white-haired heiress catch her breath.

"Do you know why my weapons are white and black?" he asked, only to be greeted by a look of utter confusion from Weiss. "It's for combat. In the day, Duskfall is easily visible but Daybreak becomes harder to see. The opposite is true at night, so this way, regardless of location or time, I have an attack the opponent can see and one they cannot, which makes it harder for them to fight back. Sounds good, right?"

Weiss kept quiet, completely thrown off by his words; where on Remnant was he going with this?

"But this leaves a fatal flaw," Sapphire continued. "By having both colors, I have a weapon that shines in both situations, but also a weapon that pulls me down in both situations by being a visible target. It's an imperfection that almost got me killed on many occasions. My glowing eyes are similar as well: they power me up, sure, but they also make it near impossible for me to hide in the dark. But I'm still here.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't aim for perfection," Sapphire said solemnly. "I don't know anything about your background or what you have to live with, but I'll say this: imperfection is not a sin, nor is it a weakness. We live with our imperfections and overcome them for better results, but we don't necessarily get rid of them. Most of the time, we can't. You don't have to be perfect to shine, Weiss. And you most certainly don't need to be the best in everything."

"Then what do I do?" Weiss asked heatedly, but her voice turned out weak. "If I'm mediocre and weak, if I can't beat anyone at anything no matter how much effort I put in, what do I do?"

"Look at what you're capable of," Sapphire answered. "Just because someone else excels at something does not mean you need to compete with them. If you keep paying attention to the achievements of others, you'll just end up getting a late start in everything trying to catch up. Pay attention to what you can do, and excel at that. There's always something only you can do.

"And for the love of all that's holy, learn your limits," Sapphire continued exasperatedly. "If you don't acknowledge them, you'll wear yourself out. If you see an obstacle you can't overcome, stop and think about it for a moment. You won't know anything but failure if you blindly put in hard work and expecting it all to pile up and give you results somehow. If that worked, I'd still have my legs proper."

They mulled in the silence for a few more moments, with Sapphire seemingly finished with his lecture and Weiss too depressed to speak.

"So what can I do?" Weiss asked. Unable to come up with anything, she resorted to asking someone else for help. Her pride lay forgotten somewhere, if only for the time being. "What is it that only I can do? How am I in any way special or… or good?"

"If you only look at others, you can't see yourself," Sapphire said, remembering the words that had been used on him once. "But if you acknowledge yourself and decide, you just might find the answer. It's not up to me to tell you."

She did not have to be at the forefront of battle. She did not need to stand out with grandiose acts or flashy entrances; she could shine right there as part of the team that treasured her so. To Sapphire, Weiss was the support of the team, be it in battle or mentally. It was something only she could do, and only she could excel at. If she could find the resolve to give it her all for herself and her friends, then calling her the best teammate one could have may not be an exaggeration. She could shine, not as a lone girl, but as a crucial component of an unstoppable force. She just needed to understand that.

"But for now," he added with a smirk, "You can settle for being the best singer among us. You'll find your answer eventually, snowflake, maybe even during your time on the stage. Don't think too deeply into it and let it come naturally. In the meantime, you have an audience to dazzle with your voice."

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter took some time. Sorry about that!<strong>

**Next up, the opening night. Next next chapter is when the fighting and stuff starts proper! Brace yourselves!**

**Till next chapter!**


	27. 27 - A penny for your thoughts

**Welcome to chapter 27! **

**This one took a very long time to write, because of Neptune. Yes, because of that guy who managed to pull off blue hair. I'm going to literally pull that blue hair off someday.**

**Also, remember that last line in Chapter 22?**

* * *

><p>"Mercury?"<p>

He looked up at the mention of his name, only to show his partner an expression of mild interest.

"What's with that look?" Emerald asked, her hands planted firmly on her hips. Her partner's recent lack of talking, while somewhat refreshing, was also unnerving her a little. It felt more than just odd seeing Mercury like that.

It was almost frightening how serious he looked sometimes.

"Couldn't live without my beautiful voice?" Mercury teased, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

Emerald scowled. He was the same old annoying Mercury alright.

"You've had your earphones on for hours on end every day now," she observed. "What on Remnant are you listening to?"

"It's just- hey!" Mercury forgot his dismissive reply as Emerald yanked out one of his earphones and plugged it into her own ear.

"I adorrre you~" a mortifyingly terrible singing voice flooded into Emerald's ear. It was so utterly horrible she jerked the earphone out before her eardrums burst from the atrocity assaulting it. "Please be my fore-eh-ever lo-o-ove~!"

Luckily for Mercury, who had been listening in for any sudden updates to Sapphire's plans, had been interrupted in the middle of Jaune's supposedly romantic secret performance to Pyrrha. While it served as superb camouflage, it would probably also mislead Emerald to the extent that she would begin to question Mercury's character.

"Mercury… you…" Emerald muttered. "You really have terrible tastes in music."

"I know," Mercury said, wanting to do a cordless bungee jump out of sheer shame. "I know. Don't say it out loud, please."

"Honestly!" Emerald grumbled. "The whole thing's going down tonight, and you're slacking around listening to… whatever that nonsense is. Don't you even want to prepare a little bit?"

"Oh, don't worry," Mercury replied, getting off the bed and pocketing his earphones. "I'm actually taking this seriously, you know."

"Sure hope so," Emerald sighed, hiding the faint smile she had. She knew that Mercury was perfectly capable of focusing on the task at hand when the situation demanded it, but nagging at him about it had become a familiar practice for her.

"You just sit back and enjoy the performance," Mercury offered, smirking. "Everything will go smoothly, you'll see."

"I wond-" Emerald began, before she registered the look in Mercury's eyes. It actually rendered her speechless for a few moments. "Mercury?"

But Mercury could not hear her. For the first time in what felt like forever, he was feeling excited about a mission. Regardless of actual skill, preparation or confidence, this was a mission in which he had a real risk of dying. Once he won under that condition, he would be able to prove his worth. With this victory, he could validate his existence as someone special. Someone strong. Someone who was not mediocre.

His smirk was not wide, but that expression sent chills down Emerald's spine. She was not unfamiliar with the faces of killers, of fighters, but the look on Mercury's face was something else entirely. Even though to anyone else, it would have been nothing more than a display of confidence and anticipation, she thought Mercury's face resembled that of a ravenous beast about to be let off the leash.

"Everything will go smoothly," he repeated.

* * *

><p>Ruby Rose – fearless hunter of monsters – drew a shaky breath. The enemy was not moving, but it did not mean that she could relax just yet.<p>

She knew that she had failed to vanquish it, but she had not thought that they would encounter each other again this soon. Drawing Crescent Rose and resting the tip of its blade on the surface of the floor, she tensed her body and approached cautiously.

"Yang, you've got my back, right?" she asked, feeling the thick bead of perspiration trickling down her forehead.

"Just go, Ruby," Yang said lightheartedly, pushing her sister towards the jaws of the monster. "You've faced worse."

"Yang!" Ruby cried out in utter disbelief. "I trusted you! My sister! You just tried to kill me!"

"They're just high heels, Ruby," Blake added, sighing as she tied the dark blue bow on her head to hide her ears; a Faunus showing up at a Schnee event would not be good for Weiss's image after all. Despite Weiss's complaints, Blake had decided to hide her cat ears anyway. "Weiss wears them all the time."

"Weiss has poor fashion sense then!" Ruby exclaimed as she picked up her archnemesis and slipping them on with an expression suggesting she was wearing a pair of Grimm carcasses, before immediately slapping her hands over her mouth.

"Weiss isn't here," Sapphire pointed out, fiddling with his phone. Seeing Ruby heave a sigh of relief, he added: "I recorded that comment though."

"You what?!" Ruby all but screamed. "Please please please delete it, Sapphire! That message is a noose waiting to be tightened!"

"Around whose neck?" Sapphire asked.

"Mine!" Ruby admitted without a hint of shame.

"Well, if you set Zwei on Blake I could consider it," Sapphire commented, causing the young leader to look at her teammate with grim resolution.

"I'm sorry, Blake," Ruby said seriously. "But sacrifices must be made."

"Ruby," Blake warned with fear and anger mixed in her voice. "If you even take one step towards me with that abomination in hand…"

"But if Weiss finds out what I said she'll kill me!" Ruby whined. "You don't lose anything, and you even get to cuddle with Zwei!"

"That's not-!"

Sapphire would have liked to listen to the rest of the exchange, but he was distracted by a sudden phone call. Picking up the call, he stepped out of the room and more importantly, out of earshot.

"Yeah?" he asked. "Yes, it's like I said. I don't know. It's up to you, but I think you need to talk to her about it. Go ahead."

He hung up, not bothering to hear Neptune's reply. He knew that the blue-haired man could make proper decisions, and that it was his voice that Weiss wanted to hear most. He had already given him this one push, and now the rest was up to them.

For Sapphire, there was a more pressing matter at hand to focus on.

* * *

><p>Weiss fiddled with the hem of her skirt nervously as she leaned against the door leading to the changing rooms, waiting. She had asked the guards to leave for a few minutes so that they could have this conversation in private, even though this could hardly be considered very 'private'.<p>

"So, um…" she began awkwardly. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I…" Neptune took a deep breath. Weiss had to admit, he was a total knockout in that tuxedo. "I have to tell you something."

"Well, yeah, I kinda knew that," Weiss pointed out.

"I-I need to be honest with you," Neptune confessed. "I heard you're… um… not too confident about your abilities."

Weiss stiffened. When she recovered from the minor shock, she immediately began having regrets about not adding more salt back in the infirmary. That idiot definitely told on her.

"I just thought I'd let you know I think you're amazing," Neptune went on. "I-I know you get told that a lot, but I thought you looked really radiant no matter what you were doing."

"Neptune, I appreciate this," Weiss said, somewhat disappointed. "I know you're trying to make me feel more confident before the performance, but-"

"It's not that," Neptune cut across her. "I wanted to say all this after the performance, but I'll say it now: I-I like you."

Weiss froze. Despite being called the Ice Queen and similar names, the white-haired heiress still froze.

"W-what?" she stammered. She was glad no one else was seeing the look on her face right now. "W-why me? There're so many better girls around!"

"There aren't," Neptune replied flatly. "You're special, Weiss, and even if you fall short of others in certain places, it doesn't mean you have no qualities of your own."

"But I'm mediocre!" Weiss cried. "I'm just average! I can't lead, I can't fight, and I'm not cool! You're perfect! You're cool, you're strong and you're confident! You're the one who's special!"

"I'm not all that, Weiss," Neptune replied, a hint of grief in his voice. "I only look cool because I go the extra mile to look that way; otherwise people'll just keep making fun of me for my hair color. If I look confident and cool enough, people don't see me as insecure either, y'know?"

Weiss just stood there, flabbergasted, as Neptune continued to speak. Her interpretation of him – that glorious, fantastic image – was crumbling bit by bit with every word.

"I lied when I said I was too busy to come," Neptune admitted. "I just felt like seeing you do something so amazing would make me feel even more pathetic, you know?

"I'm not that great with fighting either," Neptune confessed. "You remember that time we were fighting that big robot – that something paladin – I barely helped out at all. I know for a fact that you're better than I am, so I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of you in class. That's why I skipped classes; it's so I could train with Sun in secret."

"W-why are you telling me all this?" Weiss asked, perplexed. As glad as she was that Neptune came clean with her, why was he telling her this instead of at the end of the concert like he had wanted to?

"Because I didn't want you to go up feeling hesitant about yourself," Neptune replied. "I probably never told you this, but I er… I kinda peeped on you whenever you were practicing. W-wait, let me explain myself. I thought that you looked really great when you were rehearsing or practicing because… well… because when I see you put in effort, I felt that you were ordinary like I was… Like we were equals. I don't want that hard work to go to waste; I want to see you shine in front of everyone even if I can't be there with you.

"I'm not perfect," he said. "But I'll do the best I can. No matter how lowly I think of myself, I can be proud of the effort I put in to make it this far. I can be confident in myself because I know I've done my best. Don't live by others' absurd standards, Weiss; you've put in too much effort to be swayed by other people who only see your results. Even if you're not the best fighter, even if you're not the best leader, you're still special; you're still perfect to me."

"That's…" Weiss paused for dramatic effect. Ruby was probably rubbing off on her too much. "That's not fair! You're saying what I wanted to say!"

"What?" Neptune asked, dumbfounded. He was only just recovering from his extremely embarrassing words too.

"I always felt inferior to everyone," Weiss said. "I've always felt inferior to you. You can't just come and turn that on me and say it first! What am I supposed to say now?"

"Uh…" Neptune fiddled with his fingers for a few moments. "Maybe… you could reply to my confession?"

"Wha-" Weiss asked, before she realized that Neptune really _had _confessed to her. That realization made her face flush a brilliant shade of red in the span of 0.1 seconds. "I-Yeah! Um, yeah!"

A heavy silence descended, and Weiss could swear some of her guards were sniggering in the distance. She should go and have their pay cut.

"I-it's my first time, so… just know I'm new at this romance thing, okay?" she asked, breaking the silence while also looking away in embarrassment.

"H-hey! It's my first time too!" Neptune complained. Weiss gave him a dubious raising of an eyebrow. "I'm serious!"

"Well, we can start together then," Weiss offered with a smile, holding out one hand. "And see how this goes. We'll figure something out."

"I can live with that," Neptune replied, shaking her hand.

"But for now, I'll fulfil your first request," Weiss declared. "I'll show everyone a great performance."

"Not a perfect performance?" Neptune asked.

She was a Schnee. She was the future image of the largest Dust Company in the world. But for now, she was just a girl. For now, she was just his girlfriend.

For now, she was giving the best she had for him. For the people who supported her all the way. For herself as well.

"Not yet," Weiss replied. "I'm not perfect – not yet – but I'll do my best out there."

* * *

><p>"Stupid lady stilts!" Ruby cursed, directing all her frustration at the pair of high heels she was wearing alongside her dress.<p>

"This might be beyond me," Sapphire said, sounding surprisingly normal despite having his recording device crushed by Blake earlier. "But why is Zwei here? And why is he wearing a suit?"

"Because Weiss loves him!" Yang replied, holding up the dog which was, sure enough, wearing a mini-tuxedo meant for dogs. Zwei whined like a tortured martyr.

"What has been seen…" Sapphire muttered, fishing out his phone from inside his suit. "Oh man I gotta post a picture of this thing on bludit."

"What's a bludit?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow as she kept her distance from Zwei.

"It's only the front page of the net," Sapphire replied. "Am I the only one who surfs the net here?"

"Yes," Ruby, Yang and Blake replied at the same time. Zwei barked.

"Wonderful," Sapphire groaned. He groaned again as they entered the concert hall. "You've got to be kidding. Metal Detectors? Seriously?"

He had expected this, but to actually have to go through them was a real pain. He did tell Weiss that Lifesaver could not be removed just to enter the place, and he had expected there to be some sort of measures taken to that effect, but she had not gotten back to him about that.

"Mister… Fall?" the guard read out, giving Sapphire a weird look as he read off the invite. "Please wait a moment; we'll momentarily disable the metal detectors to let you pass."

"Special orders from Miss Schnee?" Sapphire asked, hiding his smirk.

"Yes," the guard replied, tapping a few keys on the laptop next to him. "We were told you wore advanced Schnee prosthetics, so you would trip the metal detectors just by entering. Miss Schnee has put in a special request for you because of that. You may pass."

"Ah, wonderful," Sapphire said dramatically, walking through the silenced metal detector. "Absolutely smashing!"

"We're in," Pyrrha's voice reported over his earbud, responding to the codeword. "Did you get them in no problem?"

"Indeed," Sapphire replied in a hushed tone, picking up the bouquet of flowers he had been carrying around. "Gather in five."

* * *

><p>It actually took six minutes for Sapphire to finally leave Team RWBY's balcony, having had to dodge Blake's alert gaze and Zwei's annoyingly good nose. Discretion was, he hoped, achieved at the very least, but he doubted it.<p>

Team JNPR was waiting for him just outside their balcony's entrance, dressed in modified formal wear fit for combat. Nora looked like she had way too much sugar in her system.

"And here we are," Sapphire announced, pulling out Magnhild in its folded form from inside the bouquet and passing it to her. With a flick of his wrists, he produced Stormflower and handed them to Ren, before removing Miló and Akoúo̱ from the sheaths inside his shirt. Finally, he unzipped the left side of his pants, pulling out a sheathed Crocea Mors. "We've just smuggled weapons into a Schnee concert. We're now officially terrorists. Hooray!"

"Terrorists don't have such hot boyfriends," Nora added, nudging Ren in the side.

"O-or such wonderful girlfriends," Jaune said, defending his own girl.

"Okay, okay, the hugs and making out can come later," Sapphire said exasperatedly. "Everyone knows your positions, so head there and we'll communicate via these-" he tapped his ear for emphasis. "You guys already took up the time we had for smack-talk, so let's move."

One by one, the four members of Team JNPR walked off, leaving Sapphire standing alone in the large corridor. He watched them go nervously, gripping his fists to force back the uncertainty.

When he finally cleared his head of his doubts, he was already outside. The skies were dark and countless stars twinkled endlessly across the dark canvas, only to be outdone by the gentle glow of the moon. The night was peaceful, but Sapphire knew for a fact that it would not stay.

As though wanting to prove him right, the sounds of battle sounded.

Gunshots. Clashing metal. Extremely soft thumps from hand-to-hand combat. The numbers were fairly small, but it was without a doubt a skirmish of some sort.

Something was wrong. A battle was going on somewhere, somehow, and it had started this early. Something was clearly amiss. Granted, every auditorium inside the concert hall was soundproofed, but something making this much noise was sure to attract the security.

"Come in, anyone," he said, tapping his earbud as he activated Daybreak and Duskfall. "I'm hearing fighting going on outside the hall. Heading over-"

"Who are you?"

Following those words, a short girl stood before him, barring his path. She looked far too young to be part of the security detail, and she was definitely not a Faunus either. Was she lost?

"Why do you have weapons on you?" the girl with curly orange hair asked as her green eyes scanned across Sapphire's arms and legs. "You're heavily armed. You're not security!"

"What gave me away, genius?" Sapphire asked sarcastically. "The crossbows on my arms, perhaps?"

"I won't let you hurt my friend!" the girl declared, summoning several floating swords from seemingly out of thin air. "You shall not pass!"

"The kids just keep getting weirder," Sapphire wondered aloud. "Who on Remnant might you be?"

"I'm Penny!" the girl introduced herself. "And I'm Combat Ready! I will not let you harm my friend! Prepare to be defeated!"

"Combat ready?" Sapphire repeated. "I like to test that theory. Then I'm gonna test my blades on your little 'friends'."

He had no time to waste. Mercury was here somewhere, and he had to find him quick. He had no time to be fooling around with this mysterious assailant hired by the White Fang.

"This will hurt a bit," he said, changing Daybreak and Duskfall into their bladed forms.

* * *

><p><strong>And… yeah. Neptune's interaction with Weiss could have and should have gone a lot better, but this one felt appropriate so I kept it as is. Don't know if I'll regret it yet. As usual, leave a review if you have anything you want to say about this chapter or story thus far!<strong>

**But Penny! Yes, Ruby managed to convince Weiss to invite Penny. Her presence because of JNPR's expected absence was pure coincidence, but will it actually become a blessing in disguise? Or just a pure disaster?**

**Till next chapter, folks!**


	28. 28 - Crossing Paths

**Welcome to chapter 28! Possibly the 2****nd**** last or 3****rd**** last chapter of this arc, which coincides with how Volume 2 is ending, huh? Speaking of which, that episode was pretty awesome, no? The flame thermos, dog ball, fighting, crashing… I'm gonna go on a fanboy rant at this rate.**

**Before that happens, here we go:**

* * *

><p>The old man could only stand and watch as the battle raged on. Rather than a battle, it might have been more appropriate to call it a 'war' given its intensity. How many years ago had he last witnessed something of this scale?<p>

Even when his Dust shop was robbed by Roman Torchwick, and the mysterious girl in red fought off the thugs, he had not seen this intensity. Even when he caught glimpses of the battle from the noodle shop, between a giant battlesuit and four girls, it did not feel that tense. Perhaps it was because back then, he somehow knew that the girls would be fine. Perhaps it was the way they presented themselves that gave onlookers confidence in their abilities. Now, as he was mopping the floors of the concert hall, a much larger battle was taking place outside.

Towards the children fighting right now, he could not find himself having that confidence. Perhaps it was just the air around them, or perhaps it was just the sheer amount of enemies they were facing.

Their foes, clad in black and armed to the teeth, charged towards them in massive swarms. Their faces, hidden behind their masks, not only gave off the impression of monsters but enforced their anonymity – a phenomenon that gave off the illusion that they were endless entities, undying and unyielding in the face of defeat.

The moment one was knocked down, another stepped in. When that one was defeated, another one would take their place. No matter how hard the children swung, no matter how much they fought and won, their efforts were nothing more than trying to cut a flowing stream of water with a knife.

"This is ridiculous!" Jaune exclaimed, slamming his shield into a White Fang Soldier's face, knocking him back. "There're too many!"

"Keep your cool, Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled over the sounds of her weapon clashing. She was going to avoid gunfire as much as she could, but if this continued then she might not have that luxury anymore. "Don't be rash; take them down one by one!"

All hopes of keeping a low profile went out the window along with Jaune's reply in the next moment, as a series of explosions blew away a group of nearby goons. Dashing out from the giant cloud of debris while blindly firing off a series of arrows back into the debris, Sapphire wiped off the blood that was starting to obscure his vision.

"They've got reinforcements!" he declared, kicking an approaching soldier in the gut, sending him flying. "She's a real pain, too! I'm counting on you guys to hold the line here!"

"Got it!" Jaune replied. "Nora! Ren! We need help out here!"

"O-kay~!" Nora declared cheerfully.

Sapphire paused for a moment, eyes widening briefly before he charged back into battle. He did not hear Jaune's voice through his earbud just now, which was a cause for concern. Even though he should have addressed the issue right then and there, there was a more pressing problem on his mind right now.

Crouching, he avoided what appeared to be a discus made out of rapidly spinning blades. It tore through the dust cloud cleanly, dispersing Sapphire's cover and proceeding to mow down nearby White Fang soldiers.

"That's cold, kiddo!" Sapphire commented, slashing down with Daybreak and getting caught in a deadlock against two floating blades. "You should treasure your little friends; cutting them down is my job."

"I won't let anyone hurt my friends!" Penny declared, sending four more blades towards Sapphire as he was immobilized by the pair in between them.

"That's a conflicting statement!" Sapphire exclaimed, parrying the blades in front of him and sending them crashing into the incoming ones. "And something that cliché is something only Arc can say with a straight face!"

Regardless of how lighthearted he sounded, Sapphire was in a state of utter confusion. Even after exchanging blows with the blades that Penny was throwing around like toys, he could not figure out how her weapons worked.

The flexibility of the floating gunblades suggested that she was not using wires, but even after the previous explosion – which had been an EMP Grenade – the movements of the weapons had not dulled in the least. Even if she could change the medium to control them, they were far too agile for her to control at once. However, even if he could not figure out how they worked, he had at least managed to note a potential weakness.

She could not control every single gunblade individually all at once. That was why her attacks typically came in the form of multiple blades following one set motion, or forming a specific shape. It just gave him a larger target to dodge.

He did not have time to waste here. Something was amiss about the attack, and he needed to organize his thoughts properly before planning his next move. How was he going to do any of that when this annoying kid kept getting in his way?

Letting loose a grenade beneath his feet, Sapphire charged towards Penny using the explosion to boost his momentum. The sudden burst of speed allowed him to elude the incoming blades, but before Sapphire could land a fatal hit, a gunshot echoed from behind him. What followed was a jolt of pain in his right shoulder, throwing off his balance.

She had fired her weapons from behind him, right after Sapphire had charged past them. Although that much was to be expected, Sapphire was forced to stop his attack because of it. Instead, he supported his body on his left hand and aimed a kick down at Penny's head.

With surprising agility, Penny jumped back, avoiding Sapphire's kick. Sapphire followed up with a somersault, but before he could launch another attack, he found himself immobilized. More specifically, Lifesaver had been immobilized.

The weird gunblades that Penny manipulated had pierced Lifesaver, albeit not deeply enough to cut into his flesh. Because of the alterations made to Lifesaver, the enhanced battle prosthesis stopped all movement, preventing Sapphire from taking another step as long as it remained in Neutral Mode and the damage was not fixed.

"Looks like I win," Penny declared, pulling in her remaining blades. As she let them float ominously behind her, she continued to observe Sapphire and, more importantly, Lifesaver.

"You're… not human?" she asked, perplexed.

"I won't be in a few seconds' time," Sapphire replied, completely missing the tone in which Penny had asked that question. "Safety o-"

"Penny! Sapphire!"

Both fighters turned at the voice, just as she did a backflip over a White Fang goon's head, kicking it in the process. She may have preferred fist fighting, but her legs were nowhere losing in terms of strength.

"Yang, you need to watch it," her partner – a black haired girl with a twitchy ribbon on her head – said exasperatedly. "You're wearing a dress; any wild movements and they'll see what's under it when your dress keeps flipping up."

"What's it matter?" Yang asked cheerfully. "If we're going to knock their lights out, we might as well let them see something nice before they pass out, right?"

"At least be a little embarrassed…" Blake sighed, massaging her temple.

"Why are you guys here?" Sapphire asked. "And you guys know this kid?"

"She's Penny," Blake introduced as Yang wandered off somewhere to beat up some more goons. Oddly enough, she had Ember Celica already equipped on her. "She's a friend of Ruby's, and… Well, she's a friend of ours."

"That's right!" Penny declared proudly. "I am a friend of Friend Blake and Friend Yang!"

"Don't say it," Blake said quickly as Sapphire opened his mouth. "Just… don't say it."

"She's practically begging people to say something with comments like that," Sapphire pointed out, as Penny removed the blades stabbing into Lifesaver. "But I guess she's an ally, then?"

"She is," Blake confirmed. "Now, can you explain the situation? Why is it a free-for-all brawl out here?"

"I don't know," Sapphire replied truthfully. "I can only say that this can't be their real goal; it's far too disorganized and noisy. Judging from the lack of guards, I'd say they were either taken out or the White Fang guys were mixed in with the proper guards to begin with. Either way, it'll be dangerous for them to get close to the auditorium. Can you fight?"

"We had the lockers," Blake declared, brandishing Gambol Shroud. "We'll take care of these guys. You head back into the concert hall."

"Wait," Sapphire interjected. "How did you guys know to come out? The walls should be soundproof-"

"Please," Blake said in a bored voice. "You didn't honestly think you could sneak away from a Faunus in the dark, did you?"

"But blondie-" Sapphire began.

"Did you really think I'd let my little kitty cat run off on her own?" Yang asked, sending several goons flying into the air. Blake stared into the distance without making a comment about that one. "Oh, yeah, Weiss told us she had a message for you!"

"She said she has something important to tell you after the concert," Blake relayed. "And you better show up, because she wants to set things straight once and for all."

"Wonderful," Sapphire replied. "Now I've got something else to worry about."

"I want to hear what this is all about when we're done too," Blake said seriously. "Don't think you're getting out of this one."

Despite the situation, Sapphire could not help but smile.

"Yeah, I got it," he replied. "I'll come back alive, so don't bother," he added, as Blake opened her mouth. Despite her usual cool demeanor, Blake was almost as much a worrywart as Ruby was.

Blake nodded, dashing off to aid her partner. That left Sapphire tending to Lifesaver while Penny watched in confusion.

"You're human?" Penny asked, almost disappointed.

"Yeah," Sapphire replied. "Sorry to disappoint. Anyway, you get back to the auditorium. Go sit back, relax and- okay okay you can help out," he changed his suggestion halfway swiftly, as the tip of several swords rested on his neck.

"I won't sit back while my friends are in danger!" she declared.

"I understand," Sapphire said, causing her to retract her blades. "But you'll have to keep this a secret from the others; Weiss'll be sad if everyone left the concert, right?"

"Understood!" Penny replied enthusiastically, giving him a mock salute. "I shall go assist Friend Yang and Friend Blake-"

"Hold on," Sapphire cut across her. He tapped his earbud, but as expected got nothing but static in return. It naturally did nothing for his morale right now. "I'm worried about something. Take this with you."

Reaching into a side compartment on Lifesaver, he produced a folded up headset and handed it to Penny.

"It's a two-way comms device," he explained, standing up and testing out Lifesaver. It was damaged, but it could at least move even in Neutral Mode now. "You can't communicate with Arc and the others with this, but it's linked directly to mine. If anything happens, I'll relay information to you with this."

"Roger!" Penny replied. "Now I shall go assist-"

"Hold on," Sapphire cut across her, starting to get a little annoyed. "This situation is abnormal. I need you to come with me back into the concert hall. If I engage with the enemy, I'll let you know what to do next."

Mercury was inside the concert hall. That much was certain. The only problem was what he would do after encountering him. Given the static he heard over his earbud and the clear connection between his and Penny's, Sapphire could roughly guess his opponent's hand. Even though it was risky, he decided on Penny as his last minute trump card.

"I need your help," he said, more earnestly than he had intended. "If I get stalled fighting the enemy, I'm counting on you to protect Weiss."

_If I die, I'll at least weaken him enough for you to take him out_.

Biting back those words, Sapphire waited for Penny to reply. The orange-haired girl stayed silent for a few more minutes, before finally looking at Sapphire in the eye.

"Are you a friend of Weiss's?" she asked, all flamboyance lost.

"I'm not," Sapphire replied honestly. "But… if it all settles down, I'd like to be."

"Does Ruby consider you a friend?"

"… Yes," Sapphire answered after a stunned pause.

"Then I shall trust you!" Penny declared, the cheeriness returning to her face and voice. "I shall lend you my strength, Friend Sapphire!"

Sapphire managed a wry smile. Hearing those words actually spoken out loud made him feel embarrassed despite the situation.

"Thanks," he said. "Let's go."

Even when she was not aware of it, Weiss had her teammates looking out for her. Be it practice, training or studying, she was never alone. Even now, as her concert commenced inside one of the auditoriums in the large concert hall, her friends were out there fighting to keep her safe. Sapphire may not have appreciated how true those words had been when Blake first said them, but he had the feeling he was beginning to understand.

He could leave the soldiers to them. Right now, there was a far greater threat he had to face.

* * *

><p>Ruby Rose was not pleased. Even Zwei, being the bundle of energy that he was, could not cheer her up right now.<p>

She had not noticed when Sapphire left his seat, but when Blake and Yang rushed off as well, she finally realized that she had been left alone on their private balcony. How would they enjoy the performance together if they were not here?

On the stage below, Weiss stood confidently and proudly with her powerful voice filling the space. Ruby had only heard her sing once or twice, so she had no idea what Weiss's singing really sounded like. Now, she was absolutely spellbound by her voice and beauty. If she had to place a name on what she looked like, she would without reserve choose 'snow angel' – ephemeral and exquisite, fragile yet powerful, and eternally beautiful and graceful. It was as if she was an existence that transcended humanity.

"Such a beautiful face," a mellow voice said from behind her. "Such a beautiful voice as well."

Ruby jumped. She tried turning to see who it was, but the owner of that voice had already taken a seat next to her. That silky, flowing black hair and those captivating amber eyes left little doubt to who she was.

"Y-you're-" Ruby began, but Cinder pressed a finger to her lips.

"Hush, my little jewel," she said, her face breaking into a gentle yet powerful smile. Over in a corner, Zwei whined as he sat down in fear, cowering at the aura this woman gave off. "We wouldn't want to interrupt such a nice performance, now do we?"

Wordlessly, Ruby shook her head. Chuckling pleasantly, Cinder removed her finger. At the same time, she cast a sideways glance to the balcony just behind the one they were in, where the sniper was already readying his weapon.

"I apologize," she said, pressing a gentle palm to Ruby's cheeks. "But for now, keep your eyes on me, okay?"

Ruby felt instantly compelled to agree. She had no idea why, but the moment those words emerged from her lips, she was filled with the impulse to follow her commands. Taking a shaky breath, she nodded.

"There's a good girl," Cinder praised, smiling even wider.

The final obstacle was removed. All that was left was the pulling of the trigger, and Weiss Schnee would have drawn her last breath.

* * *

><p>Mercury smiled.<p>

"Too slow," he said, loudly enough for the entire auditorium to hear. It was empty save for them, so it echoed a little before dissipating. "I purposely chose the auditorium next to the one she's performing in so you could reach me earlier, you know."

"Not very subtle, are you?" Sapphire asked, walking at a casual pace towards the stage. "Your pitiful attempt to kill her isn't going to succeed, you know? Maybe it would have been better to use less people."

"That doesn't matter anymore," Mercury replied. "You're here, which means you gave up on saving her. What happens outside of this room shouldn't be a concern of yours anymore."

"But seriously, that's the best you have?" Sapphire asked. "Pretty pathetic, I'd say."

_Mirror, tell me something_

He had a lot more information to drag out of Mercury, but he had to bide his time. If he played his cards right, Weiss could still be saved.

_Tell me who's the loneliest of all?_

Mercury waited as Sapphire approached, knowing full well that he was checking for traps along the way. Mercury had not bothered with cheap tricks like that, but he knew full well that telling Sapphire would not make him stop checking.

_Mirror, tell me something_

Stepping onto the brightly lit stage, Sapphire readied Daybreak and Duskfall in their bladed forms. Weiss's concert was probably already underway. Shame he would have to miss it.

_Tell me who's the loneliest of all?_

"Only blue?" Mercury asked, referring to Sapphire's eye color. "You're not taking me seriously enough if you're going to stop there."

_Fear of what's inside me_

Responding to those words, Sapphire's irises faded from bright blue to a shining scarlet hue. The foreign sensation – which Sapphire had hardly been thankful for – returned to his body, even though it was not that strong yet.

"Tell me, Saph," Mercury asked. "Do you have it in you to kill me?"

_Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?_

"We'll see," Sapphire replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Showdown next chapter! Hopefully it'll make it in time for Volume 2's finale.<strong>

**Till then, readers!**


	29. 29 - In Light's Shadow

**Welcome to Chapter 29! Longest. Chapter. Ever! But hey, I made it in time...**

**With this, Weiss's arc is over, and the next arc will follow in the next chapter, in which oddly enough Blake and Weiss will return to the spotlight for a bit. No point discussing that now, though.**

**The costume that'll appear at the end… the character is legit. Search up the image gallery for 'RWBYsaurus' and you'll see a picture of it in a band with Team RWBY. You'll see why it's relevant later on.**

**Oh, and remember the passing comment Sapphire made in Chapter 23?**

* * *

><p>He did not know if it was because of his late addition to the team, but he was often mocked by the other mercenaries. Over time, he had come to be called the 'coward'. Because of his tendency to formulate different plans and strategies, everyone inadvertently arrived at the conclusion that he was scared of fighting. They assumed that he was afraid to die.<p>

In truth, Sapphire desired the heat of battle more than any of them did. His entire existence as a mercenary was to fight endlessly, even if his body was to be destroyed as a result. The reason why he planned – the reason why he put so much effort into it – was so that his team would survive. He wanted to fight, even if he was to lose his life, but he was ultimately unwilling to let those around him die.

That was the difference between them.

Mercury Black, who had been designated as his new partner, was very similar yet extremely different from Sapphire's previous partner: he liked to talk, and was a carefree guy around the clock, but he could think exceedingly quickly on his feet. He was not one to indulge in drawn-out planning processes, and he was certainly not someone who would wait while they go through every detail of the mission. He liked to talk, but above all, he loved action.

He was shrewd and cunning, able to ensure his own survival under any perilous situation. He was able to keep calm under any circumstances, analyzing the best moves to make while pulverizing his foes. Even when unexpected elements were mixed in, his quick thinking always helped him pull through in the end. When it came down to it, he was a dependable ally to have.

People referred to him as the real 'fighter', and Sapphire as the 'coward'. The differences were great at first, but after Sapphire managed to catch up, the names slowly faded away. If anything, he felt that they had been swapped around.

Even if it ensured their survival, no one in their group would throw away their pride and bow down to an enemy; their pride was the only proof they had that they were still human after all. However, Mercury had thrown that away, and sided with the White Fang. Mercury Black, of all people, had aided the enemy and betrayed his allies. If there was a person amongst them befitting of the title 'coward', Sapphire was sure Mercury would be that person.

Harboring those thoughts, he had come to Beacon for… what, exactly? Even though he thought Mercury was a cowardly traitor who deserved nothing but death, he had still let himself get talked by Ozpin into going to a school of all places. He had been unsure at first, but now, after spending some time here, he believed that he finally knew the reason. The reason for his hesitance to kill Mercury.

* * *

><p>"I'll let you make the first move," Mercury offered, smiling confidently.<p>

"Before that, let me ask something," Sapphire replied. He too was in a neutral stance, but he was ready to intercept an incoming attack at any time. "What's this 'grand plan' to kill Weiss? It can't be that goon squad outside, can it?"

"You're still going on about that?" Mercury sighed. "Even though just by being here you've lost the chance-"

"I'm glad I'm one step ahead of you, then."

Mercury stopped talking and glared at him. Sapphire put up a confident smirk in return, even though he was in fact extremely nervous; he had no information, and only by egging Mercury on could he get it. If he failed here, Weiss would really be dead. Luckily enough, he knew how to properly taunt Mercury after spending that much time as his partner.

"Such a primitive tactic," Sapphire said, using the most infuriating taunting voice he could muster (which he also happened to dub 'The Schnee'). "Using the low-ranked White Fang goons to launch a large-scale attack while you stay inside the concert hall? You said that I had to choose between saving Weiss and fighting you, but this way I can accomplish both objectives in one fell swoop. You see, I have a trump card."

"And that would be?" Mercury asked, clearly trying to hide his mirth.

"A team of four Hunters-in-training as my reinforcements," Sapphire replied. "They'll hold off your little assault squad while I wipe the floor with you. I bet you didn't think I'd ask for-"

Mercury broke into gales of laughter, momentarily forgetting that they were about to fight to kill.

"Is that it?" he mocked. "Your precious members of Team JNPR are your best bet? Don't be ridiculous, Saph!"

"How do you know that name?" Sapphire asked, putting on a shocked expression as he took a step back.

"I've been listening this whole time," Mercury revealed. "I know every little part of your plan. That's why there is even an assault squad in the first place – to keep those four busy. Besides, I figured you'd think the commotion outside was suspicious and come back into the hall just in case the assault team was meant to be distraction. That's why I'm here."

"Interesting," Sapphire replied, switching back to his smirk. "Too bad I'm not falling for that bluff, Merc. You can't throw off my concentration will a lie like that. Another team is seated in the audience, and they would know immediately when someone suspicious makes a move in there. You can't possibly have someone else infiltrate the place under these conditions, and even if they're already inside they'll get exposed. It might be possible for a large assault force, but they're being taken care of by Team JNPR. Face it: you've lost."

"Do you really think it's that easy?" Mercury retorted. "Do you really think a plan this important would be carried out in such a loud fashion? Of course not. Like I said: I know about your recruiting Team JNPR. The plan was modified to make up for that."

"Well then, I'm sure you won't mind revealing that plan to me, would you?" Sapphire asked. If there was one thing Mercury would fall for right now, it was the chance to openly declare his victory and superiority over Sapphire. He had seen through every last part of Sapphire's plans, so he was ensured to win. That confidence and inferiority complex was what drove his words. "You're sure of your victory, aren't you? Or are you just unable to come up with a proper lie to deceive me with?"

"It's hopeless, Saph," Mercury declared. "You can't save her, not when you're here with me. I told you that you had to choose, and you have chosen. Now Schnee will die because of your lack of ability."

"Like I said, that's not-"

"A sniper."

He had it. Sapphire put up a cautious front, waiting for Mercury to spill the beans.

"We have a sniper on the balcony where Team JNPR should have sat at," Mercury announced proudly, his smirk widening with every word. "It's a blind spot even to Team RWBY, and with everyone fighting outside no one will be able to go back to the auditorium. You thought that with Team RWBY inside, you could leave it to them and not care about it, so you made JNPR look out for people outside the auditorium. You didn't know, did you, that all you managed to accomplish was giving us the perfect spot to shoot from?"

Sapphire tapped his earbud, but Mercury shook his head.

"You really don't know when to give up," he said. "I've cut the connection between all your earpieces, and-"

He paused at the look on Sapphire's face, unnerved by the sight of a smile of all things appearing on his face. Even though it was surely his loss, the red-eyed man was smiling.

"Did you get that, Penny?" Sapphire asked.

"Loud and clear!" Penny replied enthusiastically.

"Now Weiss is safe," Sapphire declared to a dumbstruck Mercury. "All that's left is to pummel you into the ground."

"Ever the schemer, aren't you…" Mercury muttered, rage spilling from every syllable. The amount of hostility oozing out from every pore was enough to shake the very air around him. "When did you recruit someone else?"

"Just now," Sapphire replied. "You couldn't cut off the connection because I didn't set it up until just now as well."

"You trusted someone you met for the first time?" Mercury asked incredulously.

"She's a friend of my friends," Sapphire answered simply. "That's enough for me. Shocking, I know, but there you have it."

"You just had to be ahead," Mercury said, taking a small step forward. "You just can't lose, not against the likes of me, can you…"

"When it comes down to battle, there're always unexpected elements," Sapphire said, momentarily stopping Mercury in his tracks. "Those are times that no amount of planning can predict, so it's during those moments you have to make a swift decision – one that will lead to victory. Those were your own words, Merc."

Instead of giving a verbal reply, Mercury charged forward with a powerful leap, denting the floor they were on. Lifting one leg and bringing it down with enough force to break a stack of concrete, his expression was filled with hate.

Stepping to the side, Sapphire fired off an arrow which narrowly missed Mercury's nose as the latter pulled his head back. He fired another, but Mercury had already recovered, aiming a vicious roundhouse kick at Sapphire's head.

Ducking, Sapphire fired two more arrows, both tearing off small pieces of fabric as they sped past Mercury's pant leg. Much to his surprise, Mercury leapt into the air and away from him after that failed attack instead of following up with a counter.

Much like the sneak attack at the warehouse, Sapphire's arrows this time had razor-sharp wires attached to them as well. He had not expected them to work as well this time, but Mercury was prepared after all.

Sapphire closed the distance, brandishing the bladed forms of his weapons. He knew that the location Mercury chose was meant to counter the wires he could not see; the spotlights illuminating the stage offered Mercury all the help he needed to see the metallic wires even in the midst of battle.

The location, however, was not without its disadvantages. On a stage like this, the space available was heavily limited. For Mercury, who relied on his legs in battle, there was hardly enough room to swing his legs properly. It was easier for Sapphire to close the distance, and when he did, he would have an advantage with his fists.

While it was true that the weakness of fighters who fought with fists was fighters who focused on using their legs, the opposite was true as well. Without enough space and when forced into extremely close range combat, fists were faster and were more flexible. While Sapphire could have opted for using his legs as well, he decided on using his blades to gain the upper hand.

However, Mercury had anticipated that. He stood where he was, waiting for Sapphire to get close. When he was close enough, he countered, landing a solid uppercut to Sapphire's chin.

With the glaring spotlights behind him, Mercury had managed to obscure Sapphire's vision by casting his own shadow over him. Unable to grasp the form of Mercury's counter, Sapphire fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Mercury leapt towards him, ready to deal another blow, but staggered backwards a moment later. Sapphire, having used that same trick against Blake, knew how to use the situation to his advantage from the other side: bringing up his blades, he reflected the light right back into Mercury's face, momentarily blinding him. Using that opening, he kicked Mercury off the stage and into the seats below.

Mercury jumped to his feet, but Sapphire had already made his next move. Pressing a button on the side of Lifesaver, he jumped back just before the wires lit up. From the glow, Mercury deduced that they were covered with Dust.

The arrows were supposed to miss, but it did not mean that the usages of the wires stopped as being cutting traps. Mercury dived to his side, only to realize one moment too late that the floor was sprinkled with Dust as well. Sapphire must have poured it there when he walked towards the stage-

The rest of his thoughts were erased by a deafening roar as an eruption of orange and red filled the auditorium.

* * *

><p>"I have a request," she said. "You won't tell anyone about our meeting here, will you?"<p>

Ruby shook her head silently, mesmerized by her words. She chuckled.

"Tell me," Cinder said softly, her hand still on Ruby's cheek. "I've been seeing this boy hanging out with your team lately. Is he a friend of yours?"

"Yes," Ruby replied.

"Well then," Cinder continued. "Won't you tell me his name?"

Ruby obliged. Even if she could not understand why, she was compelled to give this woman everything she wanted. Even if she had a bad feeling in her gut about that question, she could not refuse.

"Sap-" she began.

"Victory!"

Weiss froze in the middle of her bow and stared at the owner of that loud proclamation. Ruby, who had been startled and jumped, turned hastily at the source of that familiar voice as well.

"Uh-oh," Penny muttered to herself as everyone's eyes settled on her. "Gotta think fast, gotta think fast…"

From where she was, Cinder could not see the sniper, but given the circumstances he must have been taken out. She had no idea where this orange-haired girl came from, but if she had managed to discover him in the dark, she was clearly an adversary that needed to be removed.

"That's enough fun for tonight, little jewel," she declared, leaving a very confused Ruby at her seat. "We'll definitely meet again, so look forward to that."

But when she had reached the balcony where Team JNPR was supposed to be, dressed as security, the sniper was out cold and his weapon had been meticulously battered to bits. Furthermore, the girl who called herself Penny was somehow standing of the stage with a blade in hand.

"Aha! Weiss Schnee!" she said dramatically. "I have – hic – come to slay you – hic – on behalf of – hic – the White – hic – Fang! Prepare to die!"

"Penny, what is this about…" Weiss muttered. In the next instant, Penny had her gunblade at her throat, which Weiss was able to keep from going any further with a glyph. It was easy enough, considering how slow Penny was with her swing.

"Assassins," Penny whispered. "They're outside too. You need to cancel the concert now!"

"Assassins?" Weiss repeated. She considered this for a moment, but shook her head. "I can't just cancel it like this, so play along, Penny."

In response to Penny's confused look, Weiss jumped back and into the wings, emerging again with Myrtenaster by her side. She gave Penny a wink, just as the orange-haired girl began to catch on. This was a Schnee event, and there was no way she would let it end on a lackluster note.

The Schnee do not back down from anything, after all.

"Vile fiend!" Weiss said loudly, causing the unrest from the audience to calm down a little. "You dare to trespass on this event and make an attempt on my life? I shall show you the strength of a Schnee!"

To be honest, Weiss was enjoying the way this played out. It might look like a crappy performance to everyone else, but it did not matter right now. What matters was that she could, in her own way, save the concert in a way her sister could not.

What had made her different from the rest of the family had been her ability to fight, and to end a performance in which she was the star with a battle was oddly fitting. This was something that she could pull off, but her sister could not. From here on out, it was time for Weiss's own performance in its truest sense: uninfluenced by any planning or expectations, it was truly her time to shine.

Wearing a dazzling smile on her face, Weiss charged.

* * *

><p>Sapphire took a few steps back, waiting for Mercury to emerge from the large cloud of debris. From what he heard in the middle of his fight, his whispered directions seemed to have paid off. Now he could focus on the situation in front of him.<p>

The spotlights were not all destroyed, so fortunately there was still light, but smoke was a good cover in their line of work. Mercury could be planning anything from inside there while Sapphire was exposed in the light like the easy target he was.

That explosion should have reduced Mercury's Aura levels considerably. Even if it was him, some parts of the explosion had hit him straight in the face. Now that his Aura was drained, Mercury could not depend on it for the rest of the battle, which made him the same as Sapphire. At this point, any stab or cut would draw blood, and bullets turned far more fatal than before.

Sensing movement, Sapphire kicked at thin air, launching off a Dust Grenade. It burst violently inside the dust cloud, creating a strong gale of wind in its wake.

Mercury charged out the cloud, jumping over the seats to distance himself from the grenade. However, the gale that had been summoned managed to lift some chairs off the ground, throwing it haphazardly outwards. He dodged the first two with relative ease and, judging that he could not dodge the third effectively, destroyed it with a kick and a bullet fired from his boots, smashing it into countless unrecognizable pieces upon contact.

"What happened to the MACBs?" Sapphire asked, only to be forced to dodge the bullets that were fired at him.

Leaping onto the stage, Mercury unleashed a front snap kick aimed for Sapphire's head. Had Sapphire's eyes been blue, he might not have escaped unscathed, but as he was right now he managed to sidestep it in time. What caught his attention was the speed of that kick; it was pretty much a jab with a fist despite him using his legs.

Mercury did not pause to let Sapphire catch his breath. Even though Sapphire thrust Daybreak forward in a stabbing motion, he parried the blow with a powerful upwards kick. In one swift, fluid motion, he brought it back down, landing a powerful axe kick on Sapphire's left shoulder.

A very satisfying cracking sound was heard, and Sapphire was forced to back up a few steps. Mercury took advantage of that and advanced, stopping just outside of the blades' range and firing off a jump spin hook kick just as Sapphire attempted to trip him. Both sides missed, but Mercury fired a bullet from his boots while kicking, hitting something solid in the wings.

Sapphire rolled away, putting some distance between him and Mercury. He was considering changing to ranged combat, but a dull groaning sound to his left snapped him out of his thoughts. Dashing forward to avoid the metal fixture as it swung down from the ceiling, he found himself right in front of Mercury, and the latter was already in motion for a roundhouse kick.

Grabbing the tip of Mercury's boot, Sapphire quickly flung it away before the bullet was fired, even though it ended up grazing his hair. Mercury, using the momentum from Sapphire's fling, adjusted his attack and pulled off another roundhouse kick, this time coming from the other direction.

Sapphire attempted to stop this one the same way, but the burning pain in his left shoulder disagreed. With a rather clumsy backflip, he avoided the attack by a hair's breadth, dropping a grenade between them as he did so.

Following the eruption of light and sound between them, Sapphire got to his feet, panting as he felt his Semblance boil. Right now, he could crush an Ursa with brute strength alone, but his technique was fading bit by bit. Mercury could more than match him in strength; after all, legs possessed more power than arms, and Mercury was unmatched when it came to fighting with kicks. This was his limit, at least until he released more of it should he activate Combat Mode.

He was fighting with his life on the line, but he was still not out to kill. That said, he could not go easy either; defeating Mercury was a tougher challenge than he had anticipated.

Using it would probably be justified. Besides, it was a battle with his life on the line and his techniques were weaker than his opponent's. It was only natural to use it.

"Safety off," he declared, receiving an instantaneous reply from Lifesaver in the form of metallic clicks.

The sounds of gunfire reached him first, and two bullets tore through the air at his head. Taking a deep breath, Sapphire cut them in half in mid-flight with just Duskfall alone. He charged, easily dodging Mercury's snap kick and plunging Duskfall's blade into the side of Mercury's sleeves.

Tearing the entire sleeve off, Sapphire removed the metallic plates attached to Mercury's arm. Mercury countered with a step backwards and a side thrusting kick, but Lifesaver automatically fired the guns attached to its sides, forcing back the attack. Using that opening, Sapphire tore away the other sleeve while confirming that Mercury's legs had been protected by some sort of plate as well.

Mercury leapt forward, attempting to knee Sapphire in the gut before he could unleash his next attack. Sapphire was more than ready to dodge it, but at that moment his body refused to move.

Taking the blow, Sapphire was unable to dodge the attack that followed. Kicking off the ground with his other foot, Mercury kicked him violently in the chest and fired off a bullet upon contact.

Crashing into the wall, Sapphire coughed up some blood as he checked the damage. His suit was bulletproof, but after a hit like that a rib or two were definitely broken. But what worried him was the condition his body was in that did not even allow him to fight for long in Combat Mode.

"Neutral," he panted. The peculiar feeling that was his Semblance faded, leaving only a portion of it behind. It cleared his head, but it would not be of much help. He had to fight without relying on strength this time, which was a considerable handicap against someone like Mercury.

Standing up, Sapphire groaned as he forced his left hand to move. It was not able to move much, but enough for it to not be too much of a burden in battle.

"Why…?" he muttered. "Why leave… when you were so strong…?"

"What, and live in your shadow?" Mercury scoffed. "No thanks."

His killing intent was unlike anything Sapphire had ever seen before from the man that was his partner. It might even be enough to match Adam Taurus's. With his body in the state it was in, Sapphire had little doubt that he would lose this battle. Without Genocide Mode, he had little hopes of victory right now.

But he had made a promise. He had promised that he would come back alive, after all this was settled. He could not go off dying like this. Not killed by Mercury, and definitely not killed by his own incompetence.

With a pained war cry, Sapphire charged. Mercury readied himself to counter, only to be surprised by the form of attack that Sapphire chose.

A roundhouse kick. Even though he managed to stop it with his own, Mercury was still unable to comprehend the act. Sapphire did not have enough training to be able to match him in power or speed, so it was complete suicide to try and fight with kicks. Yet, he had decided on it anyway.

"Don't think too much," Sapphire advised, pulling off a front snap kick of his own. "That's always been your thing, right?"

Mercury smirked. Sapphire was not stupid, so he must have thought up a plan. Since it was Sapphire, it was likely a distraction. Much like how he liked to combine arrows with bullets, Sapphire was a firm believer of using visual deception by using something that would normally be deemed as weak as a decoy.

While countering his kicks by mirroring his actions, Mercury paid close attention to Daybreak and Duskfall. If there was something Sapphire could pull off right now to surprise him, it would be to suddenly change to those weapons. Once they changed to their bow or gun form, he would dodge and close the distance for a final blow. He had Sapphire read. With this, he could prove that he was-

A gunshot echoed, and a bullet grazed the side of Mercury's thigh. Looking up, he saw Sapphire holding a gun in his hand as the lower half of his pants fell away from being sliced, revealing Lifesaver.

Mercury had not been chosen as the test pilot for Lifesaver, and in his jealousy he had not paid attention to its abilities. Even so, he was not one to be caught off guard by the presence of a hidden weapon. He would just have to crush those boots as well.

Then he smelled it. It was a prickly sensation in his nose, and it was strangely familiar.

"I'm sorry," Sapphire said. "You hit Lifesaver pretty badly, and it was already damaged to boot, so I guess the containers holding Dust got a little loose."

Sapphire flung the gun in his hand at Mercury, who attempted to swat it aside. Before he could, however, Sapphire had already pulled out another gun, pressing a button on its side as he did so.

The gun exploding in Mercury's face would only paralyze him, but the explosion also affected the Dust in the air around them.

Mercury barely had the time to duck when his vision became flooded with a brilliant burst of light, sound and heat.

* * *

><p>He leaned against the wall, his feet barely supporting his body. He had taken a large blow from the explosion, and his body was paralyzed. There was nothing he could do now.<p>

In the distance, his opponent was pouring what appeared to be Dust back into the odd metallic boots he wore. When that was done, he walked slowly towards him, blade at the ready. As much as he hated to admit it, there was nothing he could do about it.

Sapphire lifted his right hand, paused, and thrust it forward. He shut his eyes. He heard that it would only hurt for a second-

A sharp sound assaulted his left ear, but no pain came. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Sapphire before him, panting as his blade pierced the wall behind him, inches away from his head.

"I can't do it," Sapphire said, panting heavily. "I can't kill you."

"What're you talking about?" Mercury asked. "Look at what I've done. Look at what you've done to make it this far. There's nothing you can do besides kill me."

"I looked up to you," Sapphire said. "I admired how you could think fast on your feet, and how you could pull off any mission with minimal planning. That's why I learned tricks and fighting techniques that would help me do the same, so I could catch up to you."

"You? Learn?" Mercury laughed. "You were always the talented one. Everyone thought you were some genius and-"

"-and I was losing all the way throughout this fight," Sapphire finished. "I lost to a guy who didn't want to be in my shadow. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Why won't you kill me?" Mercury asked. Sapphire removed his blade from the wall and let his arm dangle lifelessly at his side. "I've betrayed all of you. I caused the deaths of our entire team. I was willing to let you die."

"I made a promise," Sapphire replied. "I promised my previous partner that I would never let another partner die. I'm just keeping that promise. Besides, I know what I want now.

"The commander told me I couldn't see myself," he went on, looking into the distance without wariness. "When I finally understood what that meant, I understood that it was my fault all my comrades died. I don't want anyone else around me to die, and that desire didn't go away even after I started looking at myself. I don't want to kill any more of my friends with my own hands."

He took a few steps back, his legs wobbling as he tried to steady himself.

"I don't want to go back," he confessed. "I don't want to dive back into the shadows and take lives over and over again. But I won't let myself die, either; I promised them that I'd live. The only way I can atone for all that I've done is to keep living while shouldering that fact. You're no different, Merc.

"I have people to protect now," he said, offering Mercury a small but genuine smile. His eyes were still red, but all the fight in them had been drained out. "I have people who care for me, so I can't go down that path anymore. Besides, I'm kinda notorious from going off the 'mission' and doing what I want instead. I'm sorry."

Mercury said nothing. In the end, he had lost to Sapphire. The one who was witty in the end had been him – the one everyone kept calling the 'coward' – and not the 'fighter'. He had tried so hard to beat him, to prove that he was better, but he only ended up losing. Was this all that he was?

"You're soft," he spat.

"So I've been told," Sapphire conceded.

"You're making a mistake, Saph," he said. "If you let me live, the day will come when I kill you with my own hands."

"I've made many mistakes in my life," Sapphire shrugged. "Not as much as a certain Headmaster somewhere, but I've made my fair share. One more won't kill me."

He was mediocre. He was common, and he was ordinary. The one who was supposedly the elite – the one whom everyone believed was one of the chosen few in life – had looked up to him, not for his mediocrity, but for his strength. Was he the only person who had viewed himself as commonplace? Was he the only person telling himself that he was weak?

"Mark my words," he muttered, letting his back slide down from the wall as he sat on the floor. "This isn't over."

He could give him this one victory. Even if he did not know why, his mind was clearer than before after losing. Maybe it was because he now had a goal to work towards, and a rival to beat. Maybe it was because he finally found someone who viewed him as special. Maybe Sapphire's words made him look at himself as well. Maybe he really was special after all.

"I'll win next time," he swore.

* * *

><p>Sapphire watched as the White Fang goons were hauled off by the police. Mercury was the last to be led away in handcuffs, and he stopped just before boarding the transport vehicle.<p>

"You can't put it off forever, Saph," he warned. "_He's_ nowhere as soft as I am."

Sapphire's gaze sharpened. They both knew very well who Mercury was talking about.

"The fight's going to come to you soon," Mercury said. "Don't think you can get away with this one without anyone dying."

"Understood," Sapphire replied, smiling. "Thanks."

"Maybe I've yet to point this out," Mercury said, boarding the vehicle. "But smiling suits your depressing face, Saph. It makes a nice picture."

* * *

><p>Sapphire watched the vehicle drive off, letting the night breeze clear his head. It had been far too long a night-<p>

"So there you are."

"Oh, f-" Sapphire caught himself mid-sentence. He recognized that voice all too well. "F-fish sure taste good when it's catered here. As expected of SDC, I suppose."

"Nice save," Weiss complimented. "Now let's see how you get out of explaining why you left the concert before it even began."

"Er…" Sapphire said intelligently. "That is… um… Wait; didn't you have something you wanted to say to me?"

"Yes, that's right," Weiss replied. "It's something important-"

"Could you remove this first please?" Sapphire asked, pointing at Myrtenaster and its tip which was at his throat.

"Fine," Weiss said reluctantly, withdrawing her weapon. "The concert was flawless; it's me after all. But I guess it's partially thanks to you and Team JNPR defending it, so I'll at least say thanks. However! I have something more important to say, so listen up and don't interrupt me."

Weiss took a deep breath and exhaled, and proceeded to repeat that process four more times before she finally looked at Sapphire in the eyes. The fact that they were still red unnerved her a little, but she let it go.

"You… and I… that is…" Weiss fumbled with her words a little. "I wanted to tell you that we can never be."

Sapphire kept silent, although his eyes were wide. He blinked once, twice, and then proceeded to tilt his head while keeping his blank expression.

"What?" he asked, honestly confused at where this was going.

"I-I know you're in love with me!" Weiss blurted out. "T-that's why you said all those things to comfort me, right? B-but I can't love you back; my heart already belongs to someone else! So there!"

It took Sapphire a full minute to process that sentence, and another five to just stand there in silence looking at Weiss's look of embarrassment. Then it took about two minutes for him to stop laughing.

"W-what?" Weiss asked, perplexed.

"That was never my… my intention," Sapphire forced out over his own laughter. "I don't… oh man, I don't have those kind of feelings at all, snowflake. Ah, my stomach hurts…"

"How rude!" Weiss said, blushing to a shade of red similar to Ruby's cloak. "I'll have you know there're tones of men lining up to date me!"

"Last I checked, there was just one," Sapphire replied, recovering from the excessive laughing. "And he's probably waiting for you inside the concert hall, so go to him."

"I will," Weiss said. "But I'm not letting you get away with this that easily! As punishment for missing out on my spectacular concert, you'll have to do something for me!"

"And what is that…?" Sapphire asked cautiously, although he was more surprised that Weiss could smile like that; it was graceful, but it was also mischievous and playful at the same time.

"Well…"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe I'm doing this."<p>

"Don't complain," Weiss said. "Team JNPR's dancing even though they're wounded."

"We're going to be in so much sh- trouble when the teachers find out," Sapphire pointed out.

"Oh, we can just deal with it then," Weiss replied loftily.

"Who would've thought the infamous Ice Princess would do something like this?" Sapphire wondered aloud.

"What can I say?" Weiss replied. "I'm a rebel."

Chuckling to himself, Sapphire put on the full costume and stepped onto the stage just as the lights came on.

It was the weirdest concert he had ever attended. Team JNPR was below the stage, leading the entire dance floor with their moves (and quite good moves at that, he had to admit), while Team RWBY stood on stage each armed with their own instruments, playing song after song that Sapphire was forced to sing along to in front of the entire student population of Beacon. While wearing a dinosaur outfit, no less.

Yang was really into it for some reason, but Sapphire assumed that it was just because she had an excuse to go wild with the drums. Truthfully, he was surprised that Ruby and Blake of all people agreed to it, not to mention that the person to suggest it had been _Weiss_. He would never agree to something like this, but then again, this was his punishment, so he had no choice.

Or so he told himself, but he had to admit that it was fun to go crazy like a kid once in a while.

"Eh… ahem," Ruby said nervously into the microphone after the last song, prompting everyone to listen to her. Which was odd, considering Ruby was shy. Then again, she did participate in this concert for reasons unknown. "Thanks for coming to this impromptu concert. T-there's actually someone we'd like to introduce right now, so um…"

At that cue, Yang yanked off the dinosaur head, exposing Sapphire's face as Blake pushed him to the front of the stage. Ruby dashed away immediately, seeing refuge where Weiss was. That left Sapphire alone in front of a humongous crowd of students, still wearing half of the dinosaur suit. An introduction, she had said. So that was what this was about. It would explain why Ruby and Blake would agree to go through with it.

Sapphire looked around awkwardly for a few seconds, unsure of what he was supposed to say. Ruby had said 'introduce', but was she really expecting him to introduce himself to the entire student population like this?

"Er… hi," he began at last, seeing Weiss nod out of the corner of his eyes. "Name's Sapphire Fall. And er… I'm a transfer student of sorts, so I'm still unfamiliar with this school. Er… hope we get along."

Silence followed his words, and he was wishing he had the dinosaur costume back when he heard someone clap. Jaune was the first to start, and his team followed his lead shortly after. It did not take long for the students around them to start clapping as well, filling the space with warm applause. It was not grand, but Sapphire was not some superstar.

He smiled. Maybe coming here did have its perks.

* * *

><p>"So that's the guy who beat Mercury," Emerald muttered, her voice filled with hate and anger. She wanted to say something, probably to suggest killing them all now, but the look on Cinder's face stopped her from making another sound. It was able to replace that much raw fury with fear in an instant.<p>

"Let's go, Emerald," she said, turning and walking away from the hall and towards the direction of Beacon's front gates. "It's time we returned the favor."

Her voice had been calm, but Cinder was by no means in a good mood. She did not know how, but that man had managed to dig that deeply into her past. Like the rumors said, Ozpin was most certainly a formidable foe to have, but this was truly impressive. How had he managed to find out about the existence of her brother, who had died all those years ago? How could he have possibly known that she – Cinder Fall – had infiltrated Beacon with hostile intentions, and recruited a soldier with that false name just to spite her?

However, he would be too naïve if he believed that this alone would be able to slow her down. Bringing in a soldier with that false name would not unnerve her in the least, or make her lose sight of her objectives. She would still have her way in the end.

She would, however, make him pay for using that name.

* * *

><p>"I cannot believe this!"<p>

Sapphire, who was on the verge of dozing off, caught himself and straightened his posture, while Goodwitch continued to scold them. He had already lost track of time, but he was pretty sure he was now five hundred years old, give or take a decade.

"To have your own concert on school grounds is downright outrageous!" Goodwitch went on, and Sapphire was very tempted to put a tranquilizer arrow into her, but he figured with Ozpin around that probably would not happen. Even if it did happen, she'd probably deal with him the same way she dealt with Yang – a method so horrifying it still scared the blonde even now, which was… fascinating.

The man in question merely watched from behind his desk, wearing a very amused look behind his glasses as Goodwitch continued to lecture. He did, however, turn away to consult his Scroll when a message came in, and his expression from then on stayed solemn throughout.

"Glynda," he said, halting her in the middle of her sentence. "I have something I need to say to them."

Goodwitch opened her mouth to protest, but the look on Ozpin's face made her agree begrudgingly. The children looked at their headmaster nervously, waiting for him to speak, probably expecting a lecture, but Sapphire seemed to have caught something in his tone. When he saw that he had everyone's attention, Ozpin dropped the bomb.

"The Schnee Dust Company has been attacked. Winter Schnee and several other executives have been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. We believe it's the White Fang."


	30. 30 - Seeking Answers

**Welcome to chapter 30! Thus begins the third arc, and it might take a while for you to know whose arc this is, but hang in there!**

**And just in case anyone was confused, the old man in the previous chapter watching everything was the Shopkeep. Just FYI.**

* * *

><p>He had seen much worse. He had experienced far more violent aftermaths, and he had caused far greater destruction. Despite all that, the damage before him right now still irked him to no end.<p>

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Ozpin asked over his Scroll. Sapphire would have wanted to use his headset, but he had forgotten to ask Penny to return it after the concert. He doubted he would ever bother anymore with this going on. "I heard that the damage you sustained is quite worrying."

"It'll just make my other arm stronger thanks to my Semblance," Sapphire replied. "That being said, it'll be difficult to do homework, so I'd like an extension on Dr. Oobleck's assignment. A permanent extension would be good."

"Since when did you attend classes?" Ozpin asked, probably out of genuine interest.

"Good point," Sapphire conceded. "Anyway, I take it you've given me the clearance to investigate?"

"The soldiers will know," Ozpin replied. "I do apologize for this; you are a student and yet-"

"Someone's gotta hold down the fort against that woman, right?" Sapphire asked. "It'll just be like old times; I'll serve as your eyes and ears for now."

"Very well," Ozpin said. "Tell me what you see."

"Chaos," Sapphire replied, walking around the lobby and noting the marks on the walls. "Not a lot of blood, but the damage is pretty severe. It's not all done by a single organized group."

"Not bad," Ozpin commented. "I do have reports that tell me that regular civilians were involved in the attack. Both human and Faunus."

"Is that right…" Sapphire trailed off, ascending the stairs as he continued to look around. "So they made use of people who don't like the SDC to add to their forces?"

"What makes you say that?" Ozpin asked. He probably already arrived at the same conclusion, but Sapphire supposed he was a teacher at heart after all. "They could be supporters of the White Fang."

"Then the attack would have been more organized," Sapphire replied. "Most of the security squad is severely injured at worst, not dead. I can only assume that the humans are an external party brought in to cause some trouble."

"Correct," Ozpin said. "You'll find evidence supporting that theory on the upper floors."

"Son of a…" Sapphire cursed, arriving on the fourth floor. The amount of blood and corpses in the lobby was nothing compared to this. Those who made it up here were clearly better armed and more skilled than those who were stalled at the lobby. "They let the civilians take out the guards on the lower floors and saved their combat troops for the stronger security up here. Wait a minute…"

"Yes," Ozpin agreed. "They waited for the concert to be held so that the security at the SDC would be lower. However, they still sent a group to attack the concert hall, and had to rely on civilians to attack the company. This isn't a proper plan; this is just a backup put into action following the failure of the assassination."

"That would make sense, if not for the fact that this is far too desperate," Sapphire reasoned. "They even relied on civilians here. If this was a backup, why isn't it more thought out? Unless… this group took orders from someone else and not from the higher ups directly… No, that doesn't make sense either…"

"Speculation won't get us anywhere," Ozpin prompted. "Head upstairs; I have yet to receive a report on Winter Schnee's office."

"Understood," Sapphire replied. He wanted to get away from having to look at all this anyway. "I'm interested in how they beat her personal guards too."

"Because you've battled them before," Ozpin stated plainly. "How strong would you say they are?"

"They're good," Sapphire replied instantly. "They're very calm and collected, and are very focused on their mission; they know when to attack and when to stick to defense, even if it makes them appear weak or even if they have the advantage. In my case they often just defended to buy some time, so I don't know what it's like when they're fighting to kill, but I can testify that their abilities are the real thing."

"So the White Fang have people who are skilled enough to take them both out," Ozpin mused.

Sapphire said nothing, but it was clear enough who Ozpin was actually referring to. Sapphire had been thinking along those lines as well; he was merely looking for evidence to prove himself wrong.

What remained of Winter's office shocked him beyond words for a few minutes.

The office looked almost untouched. Unlike the lower floors, where countless cracks peppered the walls and objects were crushed and scattered across like the aftermath of a hurricane, the office was largely clean, as though its inhabitant had merely left the room. The only marks of violence that remained to serve as any sort of proof was a long, deep gash on one of the walls – one that was long enough to cover almost the entire wall from one end to another, along with a pool of blood behind the desk that without a doubt belonged to Winter. On closer inspection, a pool of blood was present at the far corner of the room as well.

"Take a look," Sapphire said, taking a picture and sending it to Ozpin.

"What do you make of it?" Ozpin asked after a brief pause. His tone had changed as well, and most certainly not in a good way.

"Considering the damage downstairs and the considerable security at the SDC, it's unlikely that a large group made it up here," Sapphire summarized reluctantly. "If it's a small group, then at least there would be signs of a scuffle. Even though the guards are skilled, given the state of the office they were taken out swiftly. Odds are that only one or two White Fangs made it up here, and they were skilled enough to be able to take out both guards in a few hits, resulting in the lack of damage to the room."

"I suppose I should tell you," Ozpin sighed. "Only one of the guards was sent to the hospital along with Winter Schnee, and the other is currently missing. From the first guard's mumblings before he lost consciousness, his partner… 'Dissolved' into thin air after being struck by the intruder."

"So the blood in the corner belongs to the survivor," Sapphire muttered. "But who on Remnant…?"

"I was under the impression that you would say it's Adam Taurus," Ozpin commented.

"I did," Sapphire admitted. "But if it's really him, why is Winter still alive?"

Ozpin said nothing, waiting for Sapphire to continue.

"There's no way he'll leave Winter alive," he said. "If it really is him, then he's not worth paying attention to in this matter; if there's someone who can make him hold back on killing a Schnee, that person is definitely far more dangerous."

"Sapphire," Ozpin said seriously. "How likely is it that a third party is involved?"

Sapphire did not reply. Exiting the building in silence, he held back on telling Ozpin what the latter surely would know. After all, Ozpin should have arrived at the same conclusion; they both knew very well that only Adam Taurus could have left pulled off an attack like that.

"Hey, headmaster," Sapphire said, somewhat reluctantly. "You can expel me as and when you want, right?"

"I would like to remind you that the assassination attempt on Weiss Schnee was only thwarted because of the presence of assistance," Ozpin replied instead of directly answering him. "Assistance that came in the form of a team of students from Beacon – your peers, I might add."

"And as a result, they're injured as well," Sapphire retorted. "Because I asked them to help-"

"Sapphire," Ozpin cut across him sharply. "I hope you realize that Winter's current predicament is not your fault."

She was on the verge of dying because he failed to plan ahead all the way for something like this. He was wasting his time singing in a concert and having fun like an idiot instead of considering the possibility of revenge; there was no way the White Fang would take the assassination's failure lying down. How was it not his fault?

"They're your students, you know," Sapphire snapped, purposely ignoring that last comment.

"And so are you," Ozpin reminded. He waited, but Sapphire did not follow up with another retort. "But we shall discuss this another time. Is there anything else you wish to add?"

Sapphire opened his mouth, only to close it again without saying anything. There were many ideas and problems swimming about in his head, but he was sure that Ozpin had already thought of all of them by himself. There was one theory, however, that he wanted to bring up regardless.

"This might not be related," he said. "But what if that mystery woman is related to this third party, if it even exists?"

"It's hard to say," Ozpin replied. "Why do you think the White Fang wanted to assassinate Weiss Schnee, and attacked the SDC?"

"To boost their image," Sapphire replied. "Dealing damage to the SDC, no matter how they go about it, is the easiest way to do it. However, once they become more notorious and feared, it'll draw a lot of attention to them."

"Therefore?" Ozpin prompted.

"There is a third party involved after all," Sapphire finished. "And they're either cooperating with or are using the White Fang for their own schemes. It wouldn't make sense for the White Fang to let Winter live otherwise. The more people hate the White Fang, the more attention it draws to them and away from this third party. They might even be able to push the blame to the White Fang for some crimes they commit."

"See, was that so hard?" Ozpin asked, mirth creeping out of his voice.

Sapphire, realizing that he had been tricked into speaking his thoughts, cursed in about six different languages before finally returning to the conversation.

"Now that you've acknowledged the existence of a third party," Ozpin said, clearly satisfied with the reaction. "Will you still insist on fighting alone?"

"I get it," Sapphire conceded, heaving an exasperated sigh. "But are you really fine with them missing out on lessons?"

"Unfortunately, I'm too busy defending this office at the moment," Ozpin replied. "Also, I'm the clumsy type, so even if reports of Team RWBY missing classes were to be filed up, I might just end up losing them."

"Is that right," Sapphire said, smirking. Hanging up on the call, he let that smirk fade off his face as he considered their conversation. Regardless of the presence of third party, and regardless of the unknown woman's identity and connection with this, there was one thing he still questioned about the situation:

What did they hope to achieve or convey by leaving Winter alive?

* * *

><p>The Shopkeep looked up when Sapphire entered the store, looking around as though checking for the presence of other customers.<p>

"Good day," Sapphire greeted, leaning on the glass counter which displayed several kinds of Dust crystals. "Hard to find a proper Dust store around these parts, you know?"

"Yes, I've been told similar things in the past," the shopkeep replied.

"I hear you're a very interesting man," Sapphire said. "You own a noodle shop too, right? I believe I saw you mopping the floor in the concert hall on the day of the Schnee concert as well. Must be tough doing all that."

"Ah, yes," the shopkeep nodded. "I do a lot of part time jobs to earn some money."

"A jack of all trades, huh," Sapphire mused. "Interesting. Can you tell me something, though? How did they permit you to clean the concert halls during such an important event, especially when you're just a part-timer?"

"W-well, I've been working there for a while," Shopkeep replied, chuckling. "You could say I'm a veteran of cleaning dirty floors… haha…"

"I see," Sapphire laughed. "Maybe they'll get you to clean up the mess you helped create in the SDC, then."

"W-what do you mean?" Shopkeep asked nervously.

"I hear Roman Torchwick was first spotted in this area when he tried to rob this Dust store of yours," Sapphire said. "Such great camouflage it must be when everyone thinks you're a victim, no?

"The attack on the SDC wasn't well coordinated, but the people who helped out must have been gathered in some way," Sapphire went on, seemingly talking to himself. "Someone out there relayed information, and you seem to be observant enough to be able to gather said information."

"W-what makes you say that?" Shopkeep asked.

"How did you know I wasn't a customer when I came in?" Sapphire asked back. "You got nervous because you saw me fighting against the White Fang back at the concert hall, and thought I was here because I was on to you, no?"

Shopkeep took a few steps back, and at that moment another man walked in through the door. He cast a passing glance at the shop before sitting down next to Sapphire, seemingly paying no attention to Shopkeep himself.

"You should be cautious about continuing to provide information immediately after something like that," Sapphire advised. "You might be able to tell who's a fighter at first glance, but you don't know who's on your side."

Realizing that he had tricked into exposing himself, Shopkeep retreated a few steps but did not bolt for the exit; there was pretty much no way he could escape in a situation like this.

"I'll be frank with you," Sapphire said as he walked past Patrick and right into Shopkeep's face, his eyes slowly glowing red. "My teammate's sister is dying, and she's so heartbroken she's crying openly despite her pride and image. Her teammates are depressed as heck, so that puts me in a very bad mood. If you have anything to confess, and if you value your own skeletal system, I suggest you come clean right now."

Shopkeep trembled, staring at the human in front of him who strangely resembled a Grimm. Sapphire's eyes, flaring crimson, burned their horrifying fury into his brain. A light poke on his chest prompted him to look down, and at the tip of the blade hovering just above his heart.

"Now, tell me," he whispered. "Is there anything you want to say?"

* * *

><p>Sapphire and Patrick emerged from the shop minutes later, their expressions much more relaxed than before. Behind them, a small group of soldiers marched through the doors where they had exited from.<p>

"You feeling alright, Pat?" Sapphire asked. In order to deceive the Shopkeep, he had had Patrick use his memory manipulating Semblance to brainwash a few people, all of whom had their faces captured by the security cameras. As a result, he was able to convince Shopkeep that he was a friend of theirs, and confirmed his involvement in the attack when they asked him for more information. He even had to wipe those altered memories afterwards, which was extremely risky given his recent discharge from the hospital.

"Just a little migraine," Patrick admitted. "My memories aren't affected, so don't worry. What about you?"

"Surprisingly well, despite everything," Sapphire replied. "I've already settled things with Mercury, so it wasn't bothering me much to begin with, and now this…"

"I meant your body," Patrick corrected. "I heard it reacted strangely when you released your Semblance against Mercury. You're not going for the surgery, either; are you sure you're up for this?"

"Truthfully, no," Sapphire confessed. "I was perfectly fine with going for the surgery after fighting Mercury, even if it meant I can't walk or fight afterwards. But now that Winter's in this state, I can't just retire can I?"

"For this 'team' of yours?" Patrick asked, smiling. "I guess some things don't change. I won't stop you, Saph, but if a problem comes up, be sure to let me know."

"Well, if you put it that way," Sapphire said. "There is a favor I'd like to ask…"

* * *

><p><strong>Hmm… no heroines, ended up with too much Detective Sapphire here… Sorry if it was too dull or boring, but I had to set up the stage properly…<strong>

**As usual, this is the prep chapter. Will be going into how the public reacts to the attack next chapter, and you might be able to tell who the main star of this arc is then.**

**Every arc so far has had a target Sapphire was out to kill. Blake, Mercury... so it should be no mystery as to who it is here. **

**Until then, fellas!**


	31. 31 - Siblings Pt 1

**Welcome to Chapter 31! **

**No point hiding it, so here's letting you know this is Yang's arc. If I ever refer to her as Xiao Long Yang, please don't mind me; I'm Chinese and we tend to pronounce our full names with the surname first and name afterwards like the Japanese do. It only applies to Chinese-sounding names though, so don't worry. **

**Anyway, that's not important. Remember Sapphire's character song? Well here's a reminder of its existence:**

* * *

><p>"Sapphire, do you have anything you want to confess?"<p>

He jumped. If Big Sis Cinder was using that voice, she clearly already knew.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," Sapphire replied, refusing to meet his sister's eyes as he sat on the floor.

"I was just wondering if you got into any trouble lately," Cinder said, sitting down next to him and leaning against the wall. "Something along the lines of fighting other kids."

Sapphire jumped. He was already eight-years-old, and he still could not fool her properly. He was starting to wonder if his sister could read minds.

"No," Sapphire mumbled. "I didn't-"

A swift, merciless fist smashed into the top of his head, cutting off his pitiful attempt at lying.

"Do you really want to increase your number of offenses?" Cinder asked.

"I fought the blockhead who lives two streets down," Sapphire gave in easily. "I don't remember his name, and I don't care. He was picking on Sandra and-"

"And you jumped in like an idiot to protect the girl you love?" Cinder smirked. It was amusing how wide her brother's eyes could go while he blushed. He stammered and tried to find another terrible excuse, so she cut across him quickly. "How badly did he hurt you?"

"I'm not hurt," Sapphire denied. For an idiot, the blockhead had the brains to hit where it would not show with his clothes on. "Okay, okay, he punched and kicked me in the stomach and shoulders mostly," he hastily added as Cinder tightened her fist.

"Does it still hurt?" Cinder asked. "Answer me seriously."

"Not so much now," Sapphire answered. "It hurt like crazy at first though."

"This is why you think before you act, stupid," Cinder scolded, grinding her knuckles into the side of Sapphire's head. She held back, but she had done this enough times to know where to grind for maximum effect. "Why can't you put more thought into what you do, you doofus?"

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Sapphire whined as he tried escaping his sister's vicious technique. "You're the one singing about heroes and stuff!"

Cinder paused. Sapphire, sensing an increase in the danger levels from behind him, gulped in fear. Now that he thought about it, she had never once sung that song in front of him.

"When did you eavesdrop on me, my dear sweet brother…?" Cinder asked in a dangerous voice. Seeing Sapphire go stiff without reply, she sighed. "Well, whatever. So you acted based on the lyrics in that song, is that it?"

"Yep," Sapphire replied. "I thought it was sad at first, but the last part of the song made me change my mind."

"Hmm, so you want to be hero?" Cinder asked, wrapping her arms around Sapphire. "My little jewel wants to fight for justice, and save the world?"

"N-no!" Sapphire stuttered. The idea of a hero sounded cool at first, but why was it that when Cinder said it, it sounded so embarrassing he wanted to bury himself somewhere? "I… Just wanted to be one so I could keep the promise I made with Dad…"

"What's this?" Cinder asked in surprise. "You made a promise with Dad behind my back? When did you become so sneaky-"

"I promised him that I'd protect you and mom when he's not around."

A tense silence fell, with neither side knowing what to say for a few moments. They just sat there, unmoving, as the seconds crawled by. Sapphire refused to talk, so Cinder had to break the silence in the end.

"Then don't lose anymore, okay?" she said. She was glad that Sapphire had those thoughts, but at the same time she hated the fact that he was still tormented by their father's words. How many years had it been since they last saw their parents? Why did Sapphire have to hold those words in such high regard? Why did he have to let his life be influenced by people who were no longer around?

"So you stood up for Sandra because you wanted to be strong?" Cinder asked, receiving a timid nod in reply. "So you decided to protect some other girl before your own sister? I guess your girlfriend is more important than I am, then…"

"Wha-" Sapphire hastily tried to explain his way out of it, albeit terribly. "I- that is- er- No, that's not-"

"Become strong, Sapphire," Cinder giggled, leaning and resting her chin on Sapphire's head. "Then you'll be able to protect me. Although, if you're having problems with the Blockhead, you can't really call yourself strong, can you?"

"He was strong," Sapphire offered in his own defense. "He was huge, and he was bulky…"

"Excuses," Cinder said, cutting off her brother's endless stream of 'valid reasons'. "The strongest opponent isn't going to be someone like that, you know; I've read that the strongest foe is always someone who is like yourself. If you're so similar, you won't be able to outsmart each other or overpower them, right?"

"That's just a… a 'stalemate', right?" Sapphire asked, trying hard to remember the word. "Where would I find someone so much like me, anyway?"

"What about me?" Cinder asked, teasing him. "If you had to fight me, would you be able to win?"

"Of course not!" Sapphire exclaimed. "I won't ever fight you, sis! What're you saying? Why would I-"

"Don't take it so seriously, idiot," Cinder said, hugging him tighter. "But even if it's not me, what'll you do if it's someone similar?"

"It doesn't matter," Sapphire replied. "So long as it's not Sis, it's fine. I'll definitely defeat them all, so you don't have to worry about a thing!"

"Is that right?" Cinder chuckled. "Well, I look forward to the day you become a hero of justice for me, then… Work hard, o mighty punisher of evil."

Chuckling at her brother's embarrassment, Cinder Fall held him tightly. Even if it meant that he would eventually become someone she could no longer protect, even if it meant he would stop becoming dependent on her, she encouraged him to become stronger. As much as she wanted to protect him, even at the cost of becoming his only source of mental support, she was a big sister at heart. Accepting the fact that she could not protect him forever, Cinder closed her eyes. Even if it was just for the time being, she was going to treasure this moment.

In the year that followed, drowned in the chaos of war and violence, her heroic brother murdered thirty-six soldiers with his own hands. In the same year, Cinder was separated from her only remaining family member, believing him to be dead.

To her, this was truly a world where heroes died.

* * *

><p>Cardin Winchester grimaced, having had the wind knocked out of him by a rough throw. He was about to say something – maybe even launch a counterattack – but the tip of a sharp blade against his neck advised otherwise.<p>

"I'm sorry, my ears must be bad," Sapphire said lightly, despite threatening him with his weapon. "I didn't quite hear what you said just now. Care to repeat it?"

"W-what's with you?" Cardin asked, trying and failing to hide his fear. "Y-you're human, so-"

He did not get to finish that sentence, owing to the unfortunate accident of Sapphire's knee slamming into his stomach.

"Ah, geez, my hearing's really gone," Sapphire thought aloud, his eyes glowing red. "I get the feeling you just told me to utterly beat the crap out of you."

"Why're you… going this far to protect it?" Cardin gasped between coughs. "It's not-"

"Oh dear," Sapphire said, retracting his weapon and reaching for Cardin's right hand, breaking his index finger. "I believe I heard 'it' and not 'she'. Maybe I heard wrong. Care to repeat what you said, my good friend Cardin?"

"You're insane!" Cardin screamed over his howls of pain. He did not even have time to put up his Aura to protect himself.

"Maybe," Sapphire conceded. "So, keep that in mind the next time you decided to pick on a Faunus, you piece of trash. Now, disappear."

With a roundhouse kick, Sapphire launched a Dust Grenade at the wall next to Cardin, leaving a large hole right beside his face. He had controlled it properly, so Cardin would be unharmed, but he could not guarantee that his hearing would be the same for a good few days. Or weeks.

Sapphire was seldom this violent with students, but recently he found his patience running thin. Ever since the attack on SDC went public, the public had become increasingly hostile towards the White Fang. It did not just stop there, either; that hostility extended all the way to Faunus in general. Beacon was of course no exception, and the Faunus students became targets of severe discrimination. Amongst many others, Blake, Velvet and Sun were not spared from that treatment.

While Sun managed to shrug it off easily enough, Blake and Velvet were worse off. Blake did not mind the criticism and could stand up to bullies, but her psychological damage was great after hearing that the White Fang was responsible for the incident. Velvet, on the other hand, was too gentle to force the bullies to stop, even when the bullying escalated to physical beatings.

While the student population did not support those acts in general, their fear of the White Fang made it difficult for them to look out for the Faunus students. In fact, there were only a handful of students who actively looked out for them, and the most problematic amongst them were Yang and Sapphire.

Yang had initially held back, but when she saw her partner and friends treated that way, she snapped. She let her anger take over instead of listening to common sense, and it was only when Sapphire talked her out of it that she stopped. He had made a very compelling argument after all: she would cause further pain for her team if she was expelled, so if he – someone who was not officially a student – got violent instead, they could break bones while remaining relatively out of trouble. Even if it did draw a lot of attention to him, which was a pain in the neck.

"You shouldn't have done that," Coco – a teammate and friend of Velvet's – said. She had seen no reason to step in, but she did feel the need to point out his mistakes. "If you break a finger on his right hand, he'll be able to use that as an excuse to not do homework. You should have gone for the left hand instead."

"Darn, didn't think of that," Sapphire grumbled. "Sorry, my bad. I'll be more careful in the future."

"Mister Fall!" Goodwitch called out angrily. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"What does it look like?" Sapphire snapped, kicking Cardin as the latter tried to flee, but still letting him get away. Beckoning for Coco to leave, he turned back to Goodwitch as the sunglasses-wearing woman behind him strolled off calmly. "I'm holding in my murderous intentions."

"How many times does this make…" Goodwitch muttered under her breath. "I would like to ask that you refrain from such barbaric actions on school grounds."

"So you're fine with all this?" Sapphire asked, raising his voice. "You're fine with them treating Faunus like trash?!"

"That's not what I meant," Goodwitch sighed, smacking him across the head with her crop before using it to fix the damage he did to the wall. "I was referring to you damaging school property over and over again."

"You can fix it, so what's the problem?" Sapphire asked under his breath, the anger slowly draining out of his body. Receiving a glare from the woman whom he swore could never smile, he hastily caught on to her foul mood. "I got it; I'll be careful from now on, so lighten up. If you keep frowning, your face will age so fast you can't get mar- Um, I-I mean, look at the time! I have to get going!"

"Hold it," Goodwitch said, halting Sapphire in his tracks. "I understand that the headmaster has granted all of you permission to leave the school to visit the hospital, so I won't stop you, but I have a request."

"You're going to skin me alive, aren't you?" Sapphire asked. "Alright… Just let me write my will and set Zwei on Belladonna-"

"_Ahem_," Goodwitch cleared her throat significantly. She had never heard of a student by the name of 'Zwei' before, but she let that slide. "I want you to look out for Miss Xiao Long. She seems to be behaving rather strangely as of late."

"You mean stranger than usual?" Sapphire asked with a smirk. When Goodwitch refused to reply to that, instead giving him the silent treatment, he felt that weak smirk slide off his face. "Yeah, I got it."

It was not just Yang; no one on Team RWBY was spared from suffering after an incident like that. Everyone became swallowed up by their own troubles, and as a result the team became something that could hardly be called that at all. Ruby had tried, but no matter what she did, she could not find a solution to the problem at hand, if it even existed. However, if it did exist, then there might be hope yet. Even if those odds were not high, Sapphire could only choose to believe in it.

"We'll work things out somehow," he spoke his hopes aloud.

* * *

><p>"Stop."<p>

Velvet jumped, obeying that order as the guard moved in to stop her. Sapphire, who had already entered the hospital, turned and shoved the man aside with ease.

"Move," he said roughly, ignoring the guard as he dragged a reluctant Velvet with him even though she was the one who wanted to come along. "Come on, Scarlatina; or did you want to be carried?"

"Hold it right there," the other guard said, putting a hand on Sapphire's shoulder. His recently dislocated shoulder, no less. "We have strict orders to stop any Faunus from-"

"She's with me," Sapphire said, showing them his pass. If the unfortunate idiot decided to put any more force into his hand, the guard's fingers would come flying off. "Let her through."

"You-" the guard began, but when Sapphire turned around he managed to recognize him. "Y-you're that Huntsman who-"

"Yes, and I can vouch for her," Sapphire cut across him; his mood was terrible, and breaking Cardin's finger hardly helped matters. "On a side note, I'm going to bring her in regardless of what you want, but depending on your answer you might end up hospitalized yourself."

Ignoring their protests, Sapphire proceeded to pull Velvet in with him. Without going to the front desk (he had come here a few times already, and the number of high-class wards here was low anyway), he led her into the elevator while suppressing the urge to beat up every single person with eyes in the lobby for staring.

"W-was that really alright?" Velvet asked.

"Psh, you have a proper reason for being here anyway," Sapphire scoffed. "You should get your wounds treated before we go see Schnee."

Velvet said nothing. There was nothing to hide; Sapphire had cornered Cardin because he saw him hurting her in the first place. No matter what excuses she may have in mind, he was definitely not going to buy it. Besides, she owed Sapphire for stopping Coco from firing her minigun, even though she had already beaten Cardin's teammates senseless with her handbag before his intervention.

"Sorry," she said meekly.

"Don't apologize," Sapphire rebuked sharply. "Unless you're ashamed of being born as a Faunus, don't apologize. Even if you are ashamed of yourself, apologize to the Faunus population instead. Then come back here so I can make you regret that thought till the end of time."

The doors opened, showing an exhausted Blake and Yang. They almost did not recognize Sapphire and Velvet when they walked out of the elevator; as a matter of fact, they did not even seem to register that the doors had opened.

"Hey, Sapphire," Blake greeted weakly. "Hi, Velvet."

"How's Schn- Weiss?" Sapphire asked, his mood taking a turn for the worse again.

Yang shook her head.

"Ruby's in there with her right now," Blake added.

From the day they first found out about the attack, Weiss had not left her sister's side. The girls took turns to look after her, sometimes skipping school to do so owing to Sapphire being busy with working for Ozpin. From what they said, Weiss had spent every waking moment crying or looking at her sister, refusing to eat and only sleeping when exhaustion got the better of her.

"Go ahead," Sapphire said to Velvet, giving her a light push. She nodded and left, leaving the three of them to discuss in private.

"Is your shoulder alright?" Blake asked.

"We've got bigger fish to fry," Sapphire replied, not wanting to answer that question; the stupid guard had relit the flames in his shoulder, and it hurt like crazy. Clearing his throat, he went on: "I've got an idea or two for our little retaliation against the White Fang. Help me tell that to Rose and Weiss. We need the whole team on this, so I won't spill the beans right now; I'll wait for the reply from the four of you."

"Then why did you come here?" Yang asked. "You could've just told us all that with a call."

"I'm staying here," Sapphire stated. "At least until I have something else to do, I'll guard Winter's room; I don't have a lot of faith in her company's security at this point."

"Understood," Blake nodded. "I'll take tomorrow's shift then."

"I'll finish up today; you can have tomorrow, Saph," Yang said, stifling a yawn. "Blake can follow up after that."

"Wait a minute," Sapphire raised an eyebrow. "Why're you guys saying that like it's natural for us to be taking turns? I'm doing this solo-"

"Did you really think we were going to obediently let you do this on your own?" Blake challenged. "Don't be ridiculous, Sapphire."

Sapphire sighed, holding back his reply and waiting for Yang to add something after her partner's words. Strangely enough, even after a lengthy pause, the blonde said nothing.

"Fine then," he conceded, attributing the lack of reply to her fatigue. "But you rest up, Bell- Blake. I'll come back in a few hours, blondie."

"Call me that one more time, and I'll punch your face in," Yang threatened, walking back to where the ward was. There was hardly even any energy in her threat anymore. How was she going to stand guard like that?

"I know," Sapphire said before Blake could voice out her thoughts. "If I get the opportunity, I'll talk to her about it."

Even though he said that, Sapphire had no idea what to say. Everyone else seemed to have figured out that something was wrong with Yang, but he had no clue what the issue was. Sure, she was depressed, but so was everyone else. What was so different about the blonde that made everyone worry about her even when they had enough problems of their own?

Sighing in exasperation, Sapphire massaged his aching temples. Women were such a pain the neck.

* * *

><p><strong>So… for the first time, I'm breaking this chapter off into 2 parts. They're both about family, after all.<strong>

**It's been some time since I last wrote about a young Sapphire and young Cinder, but don't be surprised if I bring them back in again. Oh, and that Coco cameo. I'm very tempted to have a minigun scene, but I'll hold back for now.**

**Oh yeah, a reader pointed this out, and just in case I didn't mention this before I'll mention it now and again in the next chapter: Lifesaver is a modified prosthesis, so its shape is more like leg armor or weaponized boots, which means the wearer can put their legs into them. Sapphire's legs aren't gone, but yes they are disappearing bit by bit over time because Sapphire's Semblance and Aura can't keep the 'wilting' at bay forever. Sapphire will mention this in the next chapter, but I thought I'd answer it properly now first. **

**Hope that cleared up some doubts! See you next chapter!**


	32. 32 - Siblings Pt 2

**Welcome to Chapter 32! **

**Here's a shoutout to the reader who asked if in chapter 3, the image of Cinder watching the armored aircrafts was taken out of the Volume 2 opening. Yes it is, and good job making the link; I thought it was way too little for anyone to get it.**

**Anyway, moving on…**

* * *

><p>Sapphire stood in silence, waiting for the elevator doors to open as the small space rose at a snail's pace. If someone had been next to him, he would have complained about how unfair it was that Belladonna almost killed him over false accusations that he had hid Zwei under her blanket. Granted, she was right, but she had no evidence whatsoever.<p>

Now that he was alone, Sapphire had no need to pretend. He had no reason to act like he was a regular guy with the knack for teasing others, especially not now.

Without warning, he punched the wall of the elevator, producing a dull echo. Gritting his teeth, the former mercenary ignored the pain exploding across his knuckles. Had his shoulder not been dislocated, he would have dearly wanted to punch with his other fist as well.

"What are you doing…" he muttered, directing those words at himself. "Why are you so useless…"

Losing control over his own emotions, Sapphire let his eyes gradually turn red. He had always hated his own weakness, and now even more than ever; he could not believe that even after having a plan, he was unable to put it into action because he could not pull it off by himself.

He understood what Ozpin wanted to say. He knew that there were times he had to rely on others and their strength, but what had that accomplished? He might have saved Weiss, but as a result Team JNPR suffered injuries and Winter was dying. That was not counting the various other people who lost their lives in the assault on the SDC.

The aim of the assassination at the concert hall had been to kill. The attack on the SDC purposely left Winter alive. The two acts, while performed by the White Fang, had vastly different objectives, which threw his thoughts into confusion. Not only was he too weak to carry out his own plan, Sapphire was clueless on the battlefield of information as well.

"What do I do, sis…?" He muttered before he realized it. He had not said those words since the night he was defeated by Ozpin, and truthfully speaking he had not been this lost since then. "I…"

He knew what the right choice to make was. In a situation like this, where information was heavily lacking, there were few moves to make, but hope still remained; as a mercenary, Sapphire had been taught enough to be able to devise a strategy. However, his own guilt was starting to overwhelm all other thoughts in his head.

The doors opened, and a very exhausted Ruby appeared. With eyes that told him quite plainly she had been up for nights consecutively, she was supporting-

"Weiss," Sapphire said solemnly. If not for the hair, clothes and rapier (which he hated with a passion), he would never have recognized her at all.

She looked, if anything, terrible; her eyes, beyond having hideous dark circles under them, were puffed up and red, with fresh tear tracks emblazoned on her cheeks. There was not even a modicum of her usual confidence and composure on that once beautiful face anymore.

"Sapphire," she said, her voice low as though muttering under her breath, and her lips trembling from the effort to form words. She did not even meet his gaze, instead choosing to keep her head low. "Is it true that you have a plan in mind?"

"Yes," Sapphire replied reluctantly.

"I see," Weiss said flatly, walking past him and into the elevator with Ruby supporting her. Without another word exchanged, the doors closed, leaving Sapphire alone in the corridor.

"Darn it," he muttered viciously, clenching both fists. He did not care about the pain right now; Weiss's current appearance was more than enough to push aside those trivial worries.

Was Weiss really intending to come along? The moment he worried about that, a pang of anger assaulted his mind; it had been his idea to tell the girls he had a plan in the first place. What had he been thinking?

"Change of shifts," he deadpanned, speaking to a rather distracted Yang as she leaned against the door to Winter's ward. Complying with orders on grounds of safety, the security had been moved from standing guard outside the ward to guarding every other inch of the hospital, leaving Team RWBY as the only protection on this floor. While risky, Sapphire and Ozpin agreed that in the case of a spy having infiltrated the ranks of the SDC, this was a relatively safe bet.

"Oh, right," Yang replied, her usual energy completely nonexistent. Pausing for a few seconds, she eventually walked past Sapphire and towards the stairs, disappearing around a corner.

Taking over Yang's spot and standing in front of the room, Sapphire popped a small pill into his mouth. Grimacing as both the bitter aftertaste and growing pain assaulted him, he tried distracting himself by staring at the decorative plant in the far corner of the room.

He had never been very enthusiastic about taking that 'super pill', but aside from the pain and terrible flavor, it was effective in using Aura to cure wounds in considerably shorter periods of time. Granted, the amount of Aura that Sapphire had at his disposal was low, but since it was insufficient for combat anyway he let the pill use it instead. Even if it would be less effective, if it could hasten his recovery by even one or two days, the suffering would be worth it.

Catching a brief glance of something gold out of the corner of his eye, Sapphire sprang into action. In one powerful leap, he reached the staircase with Duskfall pointed swiftly at-

Surprised by Sapphire's sudden appearance, Yang hastily put up a fighting stance. Both of them froze for a few seconds before Sapphire lowered his weapon first.

"What're you doing?" he asked, as Yang let her arms fall lifelessly to her sides. "I've got it here; you go back to Beacon and rest."

"Ah, yeah…" Yang said halfheartedly, stifling a yawn.

"What's wrong?" Sapphire asked, remembering Goodwitch' and Blake's requests. "Something on your mind?"

"Just a little," Yang replied. It did not take a genius to figure out that she was sounding nothing like her usual self, and Sapphire just raised an eyebrow, waiting. "Okay, fine. I was worried about Winter."

"Even after I said I'd handle it?" Sapphire asked, heaving an exasperated sigh. "Follow me; we need to talk."

* * *

><p>Handing Yang a can of coffee he bought from the vending machine, Sapphire sat down next to her on one of the chairs in the space before Winter's ward. Since they were the only people around, it felt needlessly large, amplifying the awkwardness of the atmosphere around them.<p>

"What's up?" Sapphire asked. "You're supposed to be the most cheerful amongst them, but right now you're about as lighthearted as a… a… okay, I don't have an example, but you get the point. I get that this situation makes it very difficult to smile, but isn't it your job to do precisely that?"

"I know," Yang replied slowly. "But I just couldn't, not after seeing Weiss like that…"

"Because of Rose?" Sapphire asked, looking resolutely at the ground.

"Yes," Yang nodded. "When I saw Weiss so devastated over Winter's condition, I… I felt so hurt myself… as though it was Ruby who was lying there…"

Sapphire said nothing. He understood that feeling to an extent; it was the main reason why he had refused to visit Winter along with the rest of them. Even though he had guessed it, he had not expected that Yang of all people would be that depressed over this. He did not think that the blonde could even be depressed in the first place.

"I was scared," Yang admitted. "We had been going after the White Fang all this time, and now look at the things they're capable of. What if Ruby gets hurt or worse because I couldn't protect her? What if she ends up like Winter did? I got scared thinking about all that…"

"Are you planning to keep her out of future battles?" Sapphire asked, his tone strangely tense.

"Maybe that's for the best," Yang replied sadly. "I don't want her-"

"And you think that's going to solve anything?" Sapphire asked sharply, cutting across her. "How do you think Rose – Ruby – will feel when she has to worry about you while she sits back and does nothing? How hurt do you think she'll be when she doesn't know what's happening to her own sister, and can't do anything?"

Yang said nothing. She had a retort at the ready, but the hurt in Sapphire's voice made her pause. Sapphire continued, unfazed, speaking with an expression twisted with pain.

"The guy who helped us out at the warehouse," he went on. "His name is Patrick Dynes. Because of the actions he chose to take, he killed his mother and will never know what became of his father.

"He was recruited at a young age," Sapphire continued, speaking to the stunned silence left by his words. "Much younger than I was when I was recruited. I hear it was to get money for his mother's operation, which was a much better reason than mine. His Semblance allowed him to manipulate people's memories, and he was favored for espionage missions because of it. However, because he had chosen to be a mercenary, he ended up making a lot of enemies. Even if it's him, it's impossible to cover every single one of his tracks, and his enemies eventually found him."

Yang tightened the grip on the coffee can, waiting for the words she knew she did not want to hear. Having witnessed a friend suffer so much over their loved ones was bad enough.

"They started with his mother," Sapphire went on, his voice sounding extremely strained. "The one who called the shots was arrogant to heck and a sadist to boot, so they didn't kill her. They violated her, broke her limbs and left her to be found by him and his father. From what I know, she was begging him to kill her, so he euthanized her.

"I suppose I don't need to go into what happened to his mental state after that," Sapphire said. "Even if he were asked to do so, to kill his own family was something he can't come out of unscathed. I don't know what happened in the meantime, but a week later he rewrote his father's memory to make him think that he never married and had no son. Then he wiped his own memories and forgot about his own family."

"Then how did you…?" Yang trailed off, leaving the rest of the question unasked. Sapphire took a deep breath.

"I heard it from his childhood friend," he replied, his eyes becoming glossy. "His name was Tyler Morris and he was a teammate of his, as well as mine. He told me everything after I took over Pat on the team, including how Pat had a notebook he used to write down every single memory alteration he ever did. Unfortunately, he only wrote down his father as 'dad', so no matter how hard he tries he won't ever remember what he looks like or what his name is.

"Can you imagine how he feels right now?" Sapphire asked, looking at Yang. "He'll never know his own family for the rest of his life, and he'll never know how he's doing. Even if they meet, they won't recognize each other. Can you imagine what it feels like to have to worry about your family like that? You leave Ruby behind and that's all she'll ever know. Sure, she's safe, but can you bear to think of how much it'll torment her?"

"… That's fine," Yang replied after a brief period of silence. "If it means that she's safe, it's fine if she worries a little right? I'll just work harder and cover both of us-"

Sapphire had already prepared a proper response to that; he had pretty much expected this reply. However, compared to the scenario he envisioned, hearing Yang say it out loud was a lot more infuriating that he thought it would be.

"Stop."

Yang stopped, staring at Sapphire with an expression flooded with confusion. There was something familiar about that tone – it reminded her of when Sapphire swore he would kill Blake. However, this time, it was far more hostile and desperate.

"It's not just about you," he said, his voice almost dropping to a whisper. "If you die, she'll start to resent her own weakness. She'll just start to hate her inability that made you leave her behind."

"W-what're you talking about?" Yang asked.

"What can you do when you're like this?" Sapphire retorted. "Even if you don't die at the enemy's hands, you'll fall from the fatigue alone."

"Oh, please," Yang said offhandedly. "I'm more than-"

A sharp pain stuck at her neck, making her freeze. Sapphire, without making eye contact, stayed where he was, with Duskfall's blade touching her skin.

"More than what, exactly?" he asked as a small amount of blood trickled from where the tip of his blade rested. "You couldn't even activate your Aura in time."

Yang was at a loss for words. She was no slacker when it came to training, and she was a fairly competent fighter. However, even with her experience and skills, she had not managed to follow Sapphire's movements just now.

"You let your guard down, and you've just died," Sapphire hissed. "You know you're exhausted, but you're putting on a tough front. At this rate you'll just die. Even if you live, you'll cause everyone else around you to die because they have to look out for you instead. It's what happened to me. Don't make the same mistake I did, blondie."

Retracting his blade and folding up the weapon, Sapphire thrust his right hand forward, grabbing a fistful of Yang's shirt and pulling her closer violently, finally making eye contact as he glared at her with blood-red irises flaring with rage.

"My sister died because I wasn't strong enough to save her," he whispered, his voice shaky with grief. "If you die now, Ruby will think the same thing. Look at me. Look at what I've become. Do you want Ruby to walk down the same path I did? Do you want her to become lost in despair until it kills her?!

"Looking out for people you have to protect doesn't mean to lose sight of yourself," Sapphire went on, sorrow pouring out of his voice and words. "If you really care for them, look after yourself first. I won't let anyone else make the same mistakes I did. I won't let any one of you end up regretting the same errors as I've made. I won't let Ruby or anyone in your team become the monster that I am."

As Yang watched, two transparent trails fell from Sapphire's eyes, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor. His fist, still tightly clenched around her clothes, was slowly but surely losing its strength.

If this kept up, Yang would experience the same losses he once did. If she died, she would turn her own sister into another Sapphire – drowned in hatred and sorrow, baring its fangs against this unreasonable world like the mindless creature it was.

"I don't want to lose anyone else," Sapphire whispered, his energy draining out of his body with every word. His tears continued to flow despite his efforts, glowing against the light like trails of liquid silver. "So please, don't do this… Don't do this to your sister…

"If she's family, don't ever leave her side!" he screamed, every last ounce of strength thrown into that desperate plea as he let go of her shirt. "Don't make her suffer alone, and don't suffer alone when you have her, dammit…"

He may have been a former mercenary, and he may have been older than they were. He may have fought his way here, and he may be more skilled than Team RWBY's members, but in this silent space shrouded in sorrow, he was the only child who cried.

He did not want anyone else to make the same mistakes he did. He did not want to lose anyone else. Those selfish wishes dominated his thoughts, obscured his perception of others, but it was ultimately what drove his actions. Finally giving in to the excessive stress by his burdening thoughts, Sapphire lashed out at Yang, utterly losing his cool.

Staring at the ground in silence, he questioned his own purpose in saying those words. He had really meant those words, but who were they really directed at? Did he mean to direct them at Yang, or were they meant for himself?

"I understand," Yang said at last, breaking the heavy silence. Her shock that Sapphire had actually snapped like that was starting to settle down, but his words still hung ominously in her head. "Maybe I didn't think it through enough."

"No, it's my fault," Sapphire muttered. "I shouldn't have-"

The rest of his words were cut off by a surprise attack from Yang in the form of a hug. As sudden as it was, the move was effective; it rendered Sapphire absolutely speechless and froze him where he stood. It confused him to no end, at least until he remembered that Yang knew about the fact that he had a sister.

"It's as you think," he muttered, trying and failing to hold back further crying. There was nothing to hide; his words had already given him away. "She's dead. I became a mercenary out of spite because of that."

Nothing more was said, but he knew that she understood. Even though she was Yang, she was also an older sister; she had her moments of maturity every now and then.

"You're not a monster," Yang told him, repeating those words as she held the child wallowing in solitude. "Monsters don't cry like that."

He might have hated the world, and he would never be able to relive those days he spent with his sister, but as he stayed there, accepting a big sister's affection for the first time in years, there was one childish wish occupying Sapphire's mind.

He wished that this warmth would last forever.

* * *

><p>"I didn't expect you to start crying as well, though," Yang commented, taking a sip of coffee.<p>

"Yeah, yeah," Sapphire sighed, leaning back on his chair. "I'm a wuss. I get it."

"That's fine, isn't it?" Yang asked. "Little kids ought to cry every now and then."

"I'm older than you, you know," Sapphire pointed out.

"But you're a younger sibling, aren't you?"

"What kind of logic is that?" Sapphire asked. "Ah, whatever. You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it," Yang said indifferently. "We all have sensitive things we don't want to talk about; I rather think it makes you more relatable than before."

"So you _do_ say some big sister-like things sometimes," Sapphire noted. "This was supposed to be a talk meant for you, not me y'know…"

"Well, it worked out well didn't it?" Yang asked, shrugging. "I got to see your crying face. It was pretty cute."

"I'll cut your hair," Sapphire threatened. Then, out of nowhere, he straightened and turned around sharply. With Duskfall in its block form, he swiftly drew a pistol from Lifesaver instead. "Someone's here."

"Put that away," Weiss commanded, appearing from around the corner. "I come in peace."

"You look better," Sapphire noted. Indeed, with the help of a considerable amount of makeup, Weiss was able to hide her signs of fatigue and crying, and with great effort she managed to act confident in front of them.

"I want in on your plan," Weiss declared. From behind her appeared Ruby and Blake, the former looking drained but alert at those words. "We all do."

Sapphire raised an eyebrow, looking to Blake and Ruby as though expecting them to stop her or say otherwise. However, all they did was stare back at him with oddly firm looks on their faces.

"What?" Weiss snapped, part of her usual vigor returning to her voice. "Did you expect me to mope around forever and not do anything? I'm a Schnee for crying out loud."

"Says the one who was crying her heart out for the past few days," Sapphire muttered under his breath. He knew that she was trying to be strong despite how she really felt, but now was not the time to piss her off by pointing it out. "Well, that's fine. I have something I want to say to you four anyway, so I suppose now's a good time."

Standing up, Sapphire walked ahead and turned around, facing the four girls who made up Team RWBY. Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, he paused; he did not have a thing for being dramatic like Ruby did; he was just extremely reluctant to say those words.

_Just say it,_ he cursed himself inside his head. _You used to be a mercenary; pride's not one of the things you have to worry about._

"This plan requires a team effort," he said. With another deep breath, he bowed down, his eyes directly firmly at the ground. It was difficult keeping his upper body perpendicular to his legs, but he maintained that position nonetheless. "I cannot guarantee anybody's safety if they do join. However, I can't do it alone. I need your help.

"So please, lend me your strength," he begged.

Following his words, a few seconds passed as though they were hours in silence. Ruby was genuinely shocked, Blake and Yang were somewhat exasperated, and Weiss was downright annoyed.

"What're you saying at a time like this?" she scolded. "We wouldn't be here if we weren't prepared for something like that! Who do you think we are? Tell him, Ruby!"

"E-eh?" Ruby asked, finally snapping out of it. "Y-yeah, of course! We're friends aren't we? Friends help each other out! Okay, I took that from Penny, but it doesn't matter!"

"Even if you didn't want us around, we'd still have gone with you," Blake pointed out. "Surely you've realized that much?"

"And that's how it is," Yang chipped in, smiling. "We're not going to let you challenge them alone, Sapphire."

"Is that right…" Sapphire muttered, unable to hold back a smile of his own as he lifted his head. "Guess we're gonna go risk our lives together then."

Then he saw it. Plastered onto her face in an attempt to fool everyone else, it stood out like a glaring error on her usually beautiful face. It was something he had forced onto his own face many times before, so Sapphire was well-versed with what it was.

He was sure that Yang's smile was a false one.

* * *

><p>The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound filling the space, overlapping with her gentle breathing. Wrapped in bandages and still unconscious, the once proud and powerful Winter Schnee lay unmoving on her bed.<p>

"You look terrible," he said, walking up to the side of her bed. "But then again, you're always ugly, so I guess this is an improvement. That said, bandages don't suit you, so hurry up and get out of them, woman."

He watched her for a few minutes without another word. It was almost impossible to believe that he was looking at the same woman whose company had battled him fiercely many times over the years. It was even harder to believe that he was feeling bad over her condition.

"How did we come to this, Winter?" he asked. "You, being there, and me asking for help from your sister… We can have a good laugh about it when we're done. I'll bring her back; I'll definitely bring all of them back safely, so you better be ready to call me a jackass again when we come back."

He was not one for making promises, but when he did make one he would protect it to the end. He had only ever broken one promise in his life, and he had no intention of breaking another one now or ever again.

"We'll all come back safe and sound," Sapphire swore.

* * *

><p><strong>Sapphire's pretty honest here, which may or may not be a good thing. Yes, he can fight, but ultimately he's still somewhat a kid. There are those who move on, but unfortunately Sapphire isn't able to cast it aside easily. He might never be able to be rid of it, but then again that's who he is.<strong>

**I'm not too confident about this chapter (I'm not confident about every chapter, but this one even more so); I get the feeling Sapphire's becoming more and more cliché for some reason. What do you think, dear readers? Do tell me what you think!**

**Until next chapter!**


	33. 33 - Apologies

**Welcome to Chapter 33! I'd like to thank all the readers who have read the story till this point, and for supporting it thus far. I'm very grateful for the reviews, comments and encouragement you all have given me, and here's to another arc of CaS! Cheers!**

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><p>"An apology's not going to cut it, you know."<p>

Sapphire laughed bitterly. Patrick, for all his supposed better sense of humor, did not join in. As a matter of fact, he looked even grimmer than Sapphire, which was certainly a first.

"You know, I was never enthusiastic about having a prosthetic left arm and left leg," Pat said, taking off his left glove and revealing a metallic hand to emphasize his point. He usually wore long-sleeved shirts and jeans as well, which made it impossible to notice them except for the occasional sounds they made. It was a touchy subject Sapphire never brought up in front of him. "They're not altered for battle like Lifesaver is, and honestly they just get on my nerves. But still, they hit harder than regular limbs do, if you catch my drift."

"I'll let you hit me as many times as you want after this is all over," Sapphire replied, putting on a forced smile even though he knew that Patrick, with all his experience and losses, would definitely see through them. As the man himself liked to say, he lost two limbs so that he could use his brain over his body more, and he lost his family so that he could treasure having bonds. To a man who had managed to keep smiling even after all that, how could Sapphire possibly hope to deceive him with such a weak gesture?

"Isn't there another way?" Pat asked, not looking at him.

"No," Sapphire deadpanned, shaking his head. "If I don't use it, we'll lose everything without being able to even dispose of him. Either way, I'm going to die in the end, but you can reduce the damage I cause after I kill him."

"Then-" Pat began, but Sapphire held out his hand to stop him.

"I'm well aware that not using it is the best course of action," Sapphire said. "But you saw the photos of Schnee's office. You know that as I am right now, I can't beat him in Neutral Mode; in terms of technique, there's no way I can match him. I have to throw aside that technique for raw speed and power."

"Why can't you just-?" Pat tried, but he stopped his own question before finishing it.

"That's right," Sapphire agreed. "Combat Mode didn't work properly against Mercury. For all I know, it may be because Lifesaver was damaged and subjected to an EMP grenade I launched against Penny, but whatever. I'd say that the best I can manage would be ten minutes in Combat Mode right now. After that, the strain would be too much for my body to keep going."

"And releasing Genocide Mode would stop that?" Pat asked furiously.

Genocide Mode. The only one term that Pat was uncomfortable with saying around Sapphire. Not only was a final trump card, it was also a double-edged sword; if Sapphire ever used it, he would without a doubt destroy himself. What would become of his surroundings in the meantime before his demise was uncertain, but with a force like that on a rampage, surely nothing could stand in its way.

"It's my only hope in defeating Taurus," Sapphire said. "And no, I won't be able to stop it," he added as Patrick opened his mouth again. "Take blondie – Yang Xiao Long – as another example if you need one; those of us who possess a Semblance that alters our physical abilities all have that weakness: if the Semblance's effects grow too strong, it'll make the user lose control. 'A Semblance that affects the body alone without interfering with the external environment will react to changes to the user, and since they can alter physical abilities, they have an influence over the user just as the user has influence over the power itself. As such, they typically come with restrictions, conditions for activation or both' – I believe those were the commander's own words.

"Well, I'm lucky in that regard," Sapphire said nonchalantly, ignoring Pat's muttered 'nerd' comment. "And unlucky at the same time; because of this, without having to be close to death, I can unleash a little of my Semblance's power by simply being angry to the point of losing reason like when I did after losing Tyler and Amelia. However, it also means that-"

"When you're too close to death, your own power will make you go berserk," Patrick finished. "With Taurus's 'wilting' advancing freely in the absence of Lifesaver's restraints, you'll grow stronger and stronger by the second, and it'll be impossible to maintain your sanity, much less reason."

"So you do understand," Sapphire replied. Now that Patrick followed up with his train of thought and arrived at the same conclusion, he should be able to agree with the plan. "That's why you have to kill me before I use that power on someone else."

While Sapphire's Semblance normally granted little boost to his abilities, should he be pushed to the very edge of life and death, he would gain enough power to easily defeat even Ozpin. In a mere contest of strength and speed, he would be superior to the entirety of Beacon's staff combined at that point. However, not only would that power be too great for his body to handle, the fact that he was already that close to death only hasten his end.

Even if he would not just start off at that point, if Sapphire activated Genocide Mode, his Semblance would only grow stronger as time went on, eventually reaching that peak. At that point, for a brief few seconds of unmatched power, he had to give up his life in exchange. There was no logic in that trade-off, but Sapphire did not care; he had no time to care about logic when it came to fighting Adam Taurus – the man who had claimed the lives of countless former comrades by himself.

"How long do you think you'll have?" Pat asked flatly. Sapphire knew that with that tone, he had agreed to the task, however reluctant he might be.

"I think about five minutes," Sapphire replied. "Once I release Genocide Mode, I should be able to defeat Adam in about two minutes. I don't know for sure, since the power grows exponentially by the second, and since it's compounded by the fact that the power itself is killing me. But I think five minutes is a safe estimate, so that's three minutes worth of rampaging around."

"But you don't want me to take that estimate," Pat stated. "You want me to shoot you the instant you take out Taurus, right?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Sapphire replied. "Oh, and one more thing."

"For crying out loud…" Pat sighed. "You're already making me participate in your plan, you ask me to kill you, and now you want something else?"

"I need you to erase my memories of this conversation," Sapphire said. "I don't want to know that you're there and end up relying on you."

"You little…" Pat massaged his temples, muttering some less-than-friendly insults under his breath. "I give up. Do what you want."

"You're going to have to remember something terrible all by yourself again," Sapphire said, closing his eyes. He had a strange sensation in his head, feeling as though he was floating on water, carried by swaying waves. He might have felt it a few times before, but he could not recall; after all, if it was caused by Pat's Semblance, feeling it meant that he would have to end up forgetting it afterwards. "Oh, and regarding the plan, I'm going to need you to contact me on its progress but not pick up my calls; if I don't remember this-"

"You're just going to come and ask me again," Pat finished. He looked away from Sapphire, determined to not face the person whose memories he was removing even if it was requested by the person himself. It was at times like this that he was glad that his Semblance did not require physical contact, and had an effective range instead.

"Sorry about this," Sapphire smiled, and a sudden wave of giddiness washed over him. When it disappeared and he finally opened his eyes, he was sitting alone on the bench.

* * *

><p>Sapphire held his breath as Ozpin consulted the piece of paper in front of him. The shades-wearing man showed no expression as usual, and was keeping silent as he read. He knew that the silence was meant to unnerve him a little, but Sapphire persevered.<p>

"So allow me to summarize," Ozpin said flatly. "You wish to take a group of my students – one with an underage girl in it, no less – and make them partake in truancy, all just to openly challenge an armed group of skilled Faunus soldiers, with no guarantee of their safety. Does that sound about right?"

"Yes," Sapphire replied, unfazed.

"I see," Ozpin replied, interlocking his fingers as he rested them on the desk, giving off an air of absolute authority and power. "Is there something you have to say for yourself?"

Sapphire knew this was coming. As much as he dreaded it, he expected this moment. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and forced the words out of his throat.

"Please," he said. "Pretty please," he added as an afterthought.

"Very well," Ozpin replied, offering a fraction of a smile. "I'll bend the rules a little and give them a small 'holiday' this time. However, I do expect you to put their safety as your top priority."

"Understood," Sapphire replied. He knew that Ozpin understood as well as he did that the girls in Team RWBY would not just obediently go back to being normal students after an incident like that. The headmaster definitely also knew that compared to them going out on their own, having Sapphire lead the team was a safer option with his experience as a former mercenary. Thus, this was the most logical choice to make. "I'll do my best."

"I don't need your best," Ozpin said firmly. "I need you to ensure their safety. Can you do that?"

"I-" Sapphire began, but cut himself off. "I… You know what became of my previous comrades. I can't make guarantees that-"

"But now, you're willing to lower your head to ask for help," Ozpin pointed out. Sapphire's eyes widened, but the headmaster paid him no heed. "You even cried openly in front of someone else. I'd say enough changes have occurred for the past's failures to be irrelevant now."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sapphire lied shamelessly. However, he was unable to remove the violent blush from his face, leaving his embarrassment so obvious that it did not take an Ozpin to figure it out. Now that he thought about it, the hospital naturally had security cameras, so this should not have been a surprise. That was a stupid mistake.

"With that in mind, I'll ask again," Ozpin said, smiling wider. "Can you do it? Can you bring them back safely?"

No reply came, and Sapphire stood there for a few seconds. Ozpin said nothing to break the resulting silence, waiting him out. At last, Sapphire took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, and finally gave his answer:

"We will."

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><p>Blake breathed in the evening air, letting the warmth from the setting sun wash over her body as she stepped onto the roof. It felt oddly relaxing, which made the Faunus wonder why she did not come here more often before.<p>

"Sapphire," she called out. She could have sworn he jumped a little at that, which was odd; last time, she had tailed him covertly, and he had sensed her easily then. Now, when she was openly walking up to him, he seemed to be surprised. Was he distracted by something?

"What's up?" he asked.

"Weiss called," Blake informed him. "She said that she's having trouble convincing the remaining directors to do it, but Winter's regained consciousness and is backing her on it. Did you do something?"

"No," Sapphire said honestly. "I did plan to ask Pat to help if she got rejected, but it seems there's no need. Just as well, too; that idiot's not picking up my calls…"

"Jaune's very curious about the details of the plan, though," Blake pointed out. "Ever since Ruby started wearing that eye patch, he's been pestering us about the details."

"That's why I told her not to wear it so early…" Sapphire sighed. "But it's Rose we're talking about… Well, once Schnee comes back, I'll fill you all in so tell Arc to be patient."

As much as he did not want too many people with knowledge about the operation, Sapphire owed Team JNPR for the assistance provided in the concert incident. That debt only got bigger with them agreeing to guard Winter in Team RWBY's absence, so there was no escaping this one.

"What're you doing up here by yourself?" Blake asked. "Wukong told me you were called to the headmaster's office after beating up a few students."

"Hmm... 'Wukong', huh?" Sapphire muttered, making Blake's eyes widen and her ears twitch awkwardly in place of a blush. "I believe you know some of them; one of 'em was the jackass who yanked on your ears before. The other two were repeat offenders who thought Scarlatina was easy prey."

"W-what did the headmaster say?" Blake asked. She did not know how and when, but Sapphire had struck a deal with students like Yang and Coco, saying that if they ever wanted to beat the crap out of someone, they should tell him and let him do it since he could not be expelled. "You didn't get into trouble, did you?"

"He wasn't amused," Sapphire replied. "Goodwitch was particularly pissed that I used Schnee's Scroll to browse porn websites, but- wait, did I just say that out loud?"

"Alright, what really happened?" Blake sighed. She knew these little tricks of Sapphire's pretty well by now. "And if you try to distract me with my calling W-Wukong's name, I'll take a leaf from Weiss's book and impale you."

"Why're you assuming something's wrong?" Sapphire asked. Blake did not reply, but he understood: he almost always came here when he had something to ponder about, and those things were usually depressing topics he did not like to share. He was just not aware that it was so obvious. "Bah, alright, I'll tell you… Just don't tell anyone else, okay?"

"Do you really need to ask me that?" Blake asked exasperatedly.

"I'm sorry," Sapphire said. Without looking at a stunned Blake, he took a few seconds to finish his sentence. "I may have to kill your closest comrade."

Those were not the words that reflected his worries, and they were not the reason for him coming up here. However, when he thought of what he had done, along with what was about to transpire, he could not help but say those words.

"I may have to kill Adam Taurus with my own hands," he finished, his eyes a familiar scarlet hue.

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><p><strong>The next chapter is a continuation of this, but it won't be called 'Apologies Pt. 2'. As a matter of fact, it's called 'Regrets'. Not gonna spoil its contents, but you're free to guess!<strong>

**I admit that Genocide Mode is effectively Sapphire's 'overpowered mode' button, but hey, when he becomes overpowered, he will lose his life, so let the guy go out with a bang yeah? I'm not trying to say he's gonna die; I'm just laying out the serious repercussions so that a certain idiot fully understands what his own weapon does. Not that he's the kind to care, but still…**

**Anyway, see you next chapter!**


	34. 34 - Regrets

"What… did you just say?"

Sapphire kept silent, not answering Blake's question. He refused to meet her eyes, instead opting for staring into the distance, as though that had been tested and proven to be effective before.

On some level, she must have known this was going to happen someday. If she thought about it long enough, she should have seen it coming. As a matter of fact, Blake _had_ seen it coming, but actually hearing it was another matter altogether.

"You know, there are times I wonder if I shouldn't be here," Sapphire said, still refusing to look at Blake. Was he still trying to change the topic and avoid continuing what he was saying? "If I hadn't come here, maybe things wouldn't be so bad."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"If I hadn't come here, you wouldn't have revealed your Faunus ears," Sapphire replied. "Because of me, you're targeted by scum like Winchester. If I hadn't interfered with your lives, you could have avoided all that and lived normally. Sorry."

Blake said nothing. It was easy to reply to those words, to tell him that she did not blame him, but she did not; even though she could not explain how or why, Blake knew that there was something else plaguing him. There was more than just that reason for his apology, which carried a weight far greater than any emotion his words carried before.

"I don't have the right to regret," Sapphire went on. "So all I can do is to apologize… Even though after all those things – trying to kill you, getting Team JNPR hurt, failing to save Winter – apologizing isn't going to solve anything.

"If only I hadn't come here, you four would have been happily studying like the students you're supposed to be," Sapphire's voice sounded odd, as though he was choking on something. "If it wasn't for my presence, you wouldn't be in so much danger… And now, even after all I said about not wanting others to suffer what I did, I'm going to personally put you through that suffering. Talk about being a hypocrite."

"Why… do you want to kill Adam?" Blake asked, her voice steady and her gaze firm.

"Hate," Sapphire answered simply. "He's killed so many of my comrades, so I can't forgive him. I won't say that he was wrong to do so, though; in fact, in a kill or be killed situation, he was justified."

"Then-" Blake began.

"But it doesn't change the fact that he killed them," Sapphire cut across her. "I don't care if it's justified or not; I'm going to kill him for revenge. That's all there is to it."

Finally he turned, looking at Blake with scarlet eyes. It felt like ages ago since she last experienced this phenomenon up close, and now that she was looking at it again, Blake shivered.

Even though the color did not change, the glow emanating from those ruby-red irises flickered every now and then. While they pulsated with energy, they also felt oddly… fragile this time.

"Or what?" Sapphire asked, his mouth deforming into a twisted smile. While sinister-looking, his lips were also quivering a little. "Did you think I was some goody two-shoes and that I won't kill him? I used to be a mercenary, Belladonna; killing people is second nature to me.

"I'm not going to stop with Taurus, you know," he went on, his expression filled with nothing but malice and twisted humor. "Once I remove the limiters on Lifesaver, I'll regain my bloodlust, see. When that happens, I'll kill every last one of you. If you want to stop me, unsheathe your sword and-"

"Drop the act."

Sapphire froze. Blake's three simple words had been unnaturally sharp, snapping him out of his façade instantly. He had thought his acting was convincing enough, but for Blake to see through it so easily was unexpected to say the least.

"What happened to 'preventing anyone else from suffering the same things you did'?" Blake asked fiercely. "If you want to bluff your way out of it, choose something that's not so contradictory. Besides, weren't you just apologizing a while ago?"

"I- You- That is- Ah, screw it," Sapphire sighed, sitting down on the edge of the rooftop. He was feeling strangely tired all of a sudden. "What else gave me away?"

"You're easy to read," Blake answered. "You may not be a terrible liar like Ruby is, but your expressions are straightforward. Besides, you were crying while trying to act tough."

Sapphire choked, hastily wiping his eyes with an arm as he muttered countless different curses, all in different languages. The conversation with Yang had a greater impact on him than he initially believed, which was a bad sign.

"My bad, my bad…" he said. "I should have prepped myself better mentally. Dammit, blondie…"

"Would you care to explain?" Blake asked, sitting down next to him.

"I was supposed to ask Pat to do this, but the jackass wouldn't pick up my calls," Sapphire explained. "You remember the time we were attacked by the Grimm in the Emerald Forest, and you… froze? At that time I released the safety on Lifesaver. That's Combat Mode. There's a mode above that – Genocide Mode – and if I use it I'll become unable to remain sane. When that happens, I need someone to stop me before I end up destroying everything.

"I know it freaking means I have to make you dirty your hands," he added, as Blake opened her mouth. "But I don't have a choice; if I let that power-"

"That's not what I wanted to say," Blake sighed. "I was going to ask why you had to use that. Honestly, why are you such a pessimist? You should learn from Wukong and think less excessively; your brain will overheat, or so he puts it."

"That explains the lack of clothes," Sapphire muttered. "And here I was thinking that he just did it to seduce you."

"A-anyway," Blake stammered a little. Her face was somewhat red, but of course it could just be because of the sunset. "There's always a choice. Don't try to find excuses and don't try to come up with ways to deal with its aftermath; if you don't like it, don't do it. Choose."

_We don't have a choice._

Adam's words echoed in her ears, refuting Blake's. Back then, she had said the same words to him, but he had denied it vehemently. Sapphire, who resented the world with a passion, would more likely share Adam's view than hers. However, that did not deter Blake from saying what she did; even if it would be refuted, she did not want to give up on that ideal.

"Choice, huh…" Sapphire muttered. "I've grown up hating the world and everything in it, and there's never been such a thing as 'choice'; not in my profession, nor in my life as an individual. I can't believe in something that, to me, doesn't exist.

"But," he added, raising his voice to stop Blake from following up with whatever retort she had in mind. "I'll admit I didn't kill you out of my own volition, so I can't deny the possibility exists, even for me. I see your point, Belladonna. I do. But I can't just stop hating him."

Someone once told him that he was not a monster. Someone once told him that he had a heart. However, if that was true, it would only mean that he was capable of negative emotions such as hate. For him – someone who had no right to regret his actions – moving forward was all he was capable of. What better way was there than letting his hatred and anger fuel his progress?

"It's fine," Blake replied, throwing her head back and staring at the vermilion sky overhead. "I know hate's not something you can just toss aside so easily; Adam was like that as well… But… This time, it's your choice. I have faith you'll make the right one."

"Whoa, such a cheesy line," Sapphire muttered flatly. "I'm surprised you can say it with a straight face… But tell me: where does that 'faith' of yours come from?"

"What're you talking about?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't Ruby already make it clear enough? Because we're friends."

Sapphire opened his mouth to say something, most likely to say something sarcastic, but nothing came out so he shut it like the intelligent man he must have looked like right then.

Truthfully, he had never expected those cringe-worthy words to ever be directed at him, much less without sarcasm. If Luke or Pat knew about this, they would definitely have died of laughter right then and there.

"Well, thanks for that," he finally managed. "Hey, Bella-"

"Blake?" Sun's voice came from behind them, followed by the familiar 'yips' from a certain pet that Blake feared so much. "Oh, there you are! Thanks, little fella."

"Wukong?" Blake said, but her face paled at the sight of Zwei, wagging his tail happily as Sun patted him. "W-why are you with that monster?!"

"I was looking for you, and this lil' guy's real good at tracking you down," Sun explained. "What're the two of you doing here?"

"Dammit," Sapphire swore aloud. "This was unexpected, but whatever. We're eloping, Blakey! C'mon!"

"Wha-?" Blake barely managed to finish her question, what with Sapphire suddenly carrying her in his arms and jumping off the roof.

"Sorry, monkey boy!" Sapphire yelled in mid descent. "She's mine now!"

The aftermath was probably going to be bloody, and his currently healing arm was probably going to need a cast again, but he did not care. Now that he did not get to finish that unasked question, he was running from it like a child; hiding behind a forced laughter tinged with some genuine happiness, Sapphire feared the thoughts that swam in his own head.

He was having regrets. Even though he did not have that right – not after living a life that exists only because others died for him – Sapphire Fall was regretting all of it.

He regretted forming those bonds. He regretted feeling happy. He regretted coming to know this warmth, since he would lose it all in the end; the moment he murders Taurus, or maybe even before that, he would have crushed all these precious memories with his own bloodstained hands.

He had intended to ask Blake that question, but it ended up haunting his thoughts instead. Worst of all, he had no answer for it:

Which would he end up regretting more – destroying all this warmth and happiness, or giving up on his revenge?

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><p>Sapphire leaned against the wall, having sought refuge inside the locker room. He managed to pilfer Gambol Shroud, but Blake had managed to borrow Sun's weapon after explaining everything, and was threatening to ram it down his throat.<p>

For someone who had several bruises on her body, she sure moved around a lot. It might have been her way of showing him that she was alright, but she seemed to really want him to eat that staff, so he could not be sure.

Just as he was about to leave, Sapphire stopped dead in his tracks. There was someone outside, standing beside the door but not entering despite the door being wide open. For a moment, he had thought it was Blake (since Sun did not have the ability to sneak up on him), but the hostility emanating from this person was far too intense.

"Can I help you?" Sapphire asked. He took a step back, putting more distance between him and the door, where upon closer inspection had been rigged with simple wire traps. They were basic ones that could be set up in just a few seconds – Mercury's favorite – and could be dismantled just as easily, but he would have to be an idiot beyond cure if he tried disarming it right in front of the enemy.

"You're the one who calls yourself Sapphire?" a woman's voice asked back. It was not altered by any form of machinery, so this person was either using some form of Semblance to alter their voice or was someone Sapphire did not know.

"You're oozing with killing intent without confirming my identity?" Sapphire asked. Her phrasing was weird, but he let that slide.

"You're the one who defeated Mercury," she said, her level of hostility rising.

"What's it matter to you?" Sapphire asked. Then he remembered the trap. "You're his partner, aren't you?"

"I see," the woman replied, taking his reply as affirmation. "Then I'll make sure I kill you myself."

With that, Sapphire knew she was not the masked assailant he had battled back then; that woman had been calm in the heat of battle, even when he kept pulling out surprise moves out of nowhere. She was certainly not someone who would get enraged over losing a comrade.

_So there're at least three of them, including Mercury, _Sapphire thought. "Well, want to try now? We'll have to be quiet so guards don't come running, though."

"I'm not stupid enough to engage you here," Emerald scoffed on the other side of the door. "The reinforcements are already coming, after all."

"So you can tell," Sapphire said, deactivating the SOS signal that Lifesaver was sending out; if she knew it could send out various signals to draw in Grimm and as such could be altered to call for help, there was a possibility she could disable Lifesaver with advanced machinery that way. "Can I interpret this conversation as a declaration of war?"

"It's not war," Emerald replied, walking off. Cinder may have thought his real name to be important, but she did not care; the fact that he defeated Mercury was more than enough for her. "I'm just going to slaughter you."

"Is that right?" Sapphire asked. If she was able to retreat after detecting the SOS signal, then she was not a complete idiot. That jackass Mercury lucked out.

"Got yourself a good woman, didn't you?" he muttered under his breath. "Sneaky bastard."

* * *

><p>The room was dark and completely void of light. Nothing could be seen, and nothing was heard until the violent sound of tearing paper exploded across the space.<p>

He did not recall having ever read something so infuriating. Then again, there were few people who made a fool of the White Fang so openly and lived. No, he was sure that he had taken out every single last one of them.

Another ignorant human – a Schnee, no less – had decided to defile their pride. This insult was unforgivable, and he would ensure that they paid the price with their blood, bones and flesh. Even then, his anger would not be appeased; he would have to sever their very souls for that.

He was in charge of this mission. This time, not even that woman would get a say in it. He would crush these insolent insects, and with their carcasses as his trophy, he would show the world their foolishness for opposing the White Fang.

The shadows recoiled at his presence, scurrying away pitifully from his murderous aura even though there was nowhere to run or hide. Right now, he was an entity more fearsome than darkness itself.

Gnashing his teeth fiercely and eyes aflame with white-hot fury, Adam Taurus reached for his mask – the face of a monster, and the symbol of his unyielding, unmatched power.

If they wanted to suffer that badly, he would make their world burn.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the delay in this one; I had trouble writing the transitions between the scenes…<strong>

**And there's Emerald, getting some screen time but not a lot. Meh.**

**Anyway, see you next chapter!**


	35. 34-5 - Call sign

**Welcome to chapter 34.5! **

**These .5 chapters are extra chapters and can be really long or extremely short depending on the content, and they don't affect the story in any way. Sometimes they can be requests, sometimes they can be a backstory and whatnot, but you don't need to read these chapters so feel free to skip them.**

**This one's a little of both; it's a backstory for Sapphire and it's somewhat a reply to a reader's question: if Sapphire was based off someone, like how Ruby was from the little red riding hood and all that. Yes, he is, and Sapphire is based off Grimm.**

**By Grimm, I mean the creatures like Beowolves and Ursi and Nevermores etc. When his Semblance is at high levels, his eyes turn red. Given how his hair is black and his face substitutes for the mask-like skulls they have, in that aspect he resembles the creatures. I'd elaborate, but that'll take up too much space, so have an extra chapter instead:**

* * *

><p>"My Call Sign?"<p>

Sapphire looked up from polishing his weapon, raising an eyebrow at his partner.

"Yeah," Mercury replied, shrugging. "Everyone has one, and you were formerly part of the army, right? What's yours?"

"… Season," Sapphire answered somewhat reluctantly.

There was a short period of silence, before Mercury burst into fits of laughter, clutching his stomach.

"That's the lamest thing I've heard all year," he said between intakes of air. "Oh, man… It sucks… It sucks so much, Saph…"

"I don't want to hear that from you, 'Macbeth'," Sapphire fired back. He had no idea what on Remnant a Macbeth was supposed to be, but it sounded weird so he did not care; if he could make fun of Mercury with it, he was satisfied.

"Hey, fellas," their current team leader, Tyler Morris, yelled from another room. "We got a new mission! Debrief in five!"

"Not again," Sapphire complained, wearing his overly complicated boots. Ever since he had been chosen as the test pilot for the Mobile Armory Combat Boots (MACB) alongside Mercury, the number of missions they were forced to do increased every day, on grounds of 'gathering data'. Apparently it had something to do with that set of prosthetic legs he and Luke stole from the Schnee warehouse.

"How're you coping with those shoes?" Mercury asked, patting his own. "If you have any questions, just ask the pro, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Sapphire groaned. As far as the boots were concerned, he had not managed anything beyond firing bullets with his kicks. Mercury, on the other hand, had pulled off bullets, grenades and once a hidden knife.

"Say, we should probably get you a new call sign," Mercury said. "Something that only this team calls you by, you know?"

"Good idea, Merc," Amelia Anderson – the only woman on the team and Tyler's girlfriend – agreed as she entered the room. "Season sounds kinda odd anyway."

"Weren't you making out with Tyler?" Sapphire asked curiously. The greatest problem with sharing their living quarters with a couple was the fact that Tyler and Amelia made love to each other after every mission – a problem made worse by the increase in missions lately. And the fact that the walls were paper thin.

"Now, now, Saph," Mercury said lightly as Amelia clenched her fist. "The term is 'made out with'; she can't be here if she's still making out, right?"

"Oh, that's right," Sapphire replied, ducking as Amelia took a swing for his head.

"Tell me, Saph," Amelia said nicely, smiling as she managed to get him in a headlock. "Why is the first thing you associate me with, of all things, having sex? I. Really. Wonder!"

"Alright, wrap it up, kids," Tyler announced, walking into the room without a shirt just as Amelia tightened her hold. He always had a thing for showing off the tattoos on his back, which also gave Mercury the bright idea of making his call sign 'exhibitionist'. Thankfully, the idea was shot down in the end. "Although I do agree with Merc's idea of giving Saph a new call sign. How about 'jewel'?"

Sapphire froze. His fingers, wrapped around Amelia's arms, stopped trying to pry them away and started trembling at that word.

_You'll always be my little 'Jewel'._

His sister's voice echoed in his head, gentle and mellow, yet forever distant. For just a brief moment, it felt like the world had gone cold, threatening to freeze him where he stood.

"Okay, maybe not," Tyler corrected himself, reading Sapphire's mood. If there was one thing he mastered after doing several undercover missions, it was the ability to read other people openly. "How about we ask Ozzy to help us think of one?"

"Yeah, and get him a worse one than 'Season'," Mercury scoffed. "Remember when Pat was still here and he was the leader? Ozzy was the one who named the team PATM (Platinum). You really want that guy to give him a call sign?"

"Fair point," Tyler conceded. "Well, whatever. Now's not the time for that; let's move on to the agenda at hand. Our mission this time is a simple raid; we go in and destroy all the droids the White Fang has been amassing since last month, and then we scram. Follow me so far?"

"Estimated resistance?" Sapphire asked, managing to recover as Amelia let go of him.

"Unknown," Tyler replied. "They were still getting more at the time our scouts discovered the place, but the minimum number is around fifty Atlesian Knight-130s, along with no less than twenty soldiers. We also have reports of humans doing maintenance on the robots there, so it'll be lively to say the least."

"There're humans working with the White Fang?" Mercury asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They were kidnapped and forced to work on the machines," Amelia answered for her boyfriend, flipping through some documents. "Remember the lab we wrecked two weeks ago? The humans are replacements for the lab coats we killed back then."

"So it's a raid and rescue mission?" Sapphire asked.

"No, it's just a raid," Tyler replied. "We're paid to trash the place, not free the prisoners; there's nothing in it for us worth that much trouble. We'll eliminate them if they get in our way."

"Roger that," Mercury replied, stifling a yawn as he leaned back on the sofa.

Sapphire said nothing. There were many times in the past where something like this had happened, and each time he was forcefully reminded of how different they were from him; they were the real mercenaries, fighting and killing for money without care for anything else. If it was not in the mission's details, they would not bother saving anyone. No matter how friendly they acted and how much they smiled, joked, or loved, they were still cold-blooded murderers at heart. Why was it that he could not be like them?

"Mission will take place at ten-zero-zero tomorrow morning," Tyler announced. "Rest up properly; that means no sparring today, Merc and Saph. Alright, dismissed!"

* * *

><p>"North section, clear," Mercury's voice declared in Sapphire's earbud.<p>

"West section, clear," Amelia said. She sounded like she was panting heavily, and Sapphire had absolutely no doubt as to why; she and Tyler were definitely kissing violently before the mission again.

"South section, clear," Sapphire said, performing a quick check on the MACB.

"Good work, kid," a man's voice replied after a few minutes, sounding rather amused.

Sapphire stiffened, looking around hastily as though hoping to see the owner of that voice. His eyes scanned the nearby foliage, but as he had expected, the man was nowhere to be seen.

"Qrow," he said with as much venom as he could muster. He was not even going to bother wondering how he had managed to hack the team's channel.

"I'm glad you remember me," Qrow said, sounding genuinely pleased. "I don't have time, so I'll get straight to the point though: abandon this mission. It's beyond you."

"Wha-" Sapphire began, but a heavy burst of static drowned out everything else.

"Season!" Mercury's panicked voice rang in his ear after the static finally died down. "Season! Do you copy?"

"Season copies," Sapphire replied. "What's the sit-"

"We're already in here," Mercury yelled over the sounds of gunshots in the background. "Comms are finally back up. Get your ass in here!"

* * *

><p>Sapphire crouched, evading the android's sloppy punch. With one forceful thrust, he buried Daybreak's blade into the robot's face, instantly cutting off all its functions.<p>

Pulling out his blade and using the body of the robot as a shield, he sprinted forward a few steps before kicking it into the androids equipped with guns, momentarily stunning them. Using that opening, Sapphire reached into his vest pocket, pulled out a Dust Grenade, yanked off the pin and threw it.

The explosion did not hurt him, but some scraps of metal grazed his skin as they flew by. They were not heavy wounds, but they had been intentionally received; Sapphire's running speed increased by a little after starting to bleed. His eyes, instead of their usual amber, were now a light shade of blue.

"Macbeth, Romeo, Juliet," he called desperately into his mic. He had never been a fan of shouting those weird names, especially since he had no idea what they were supposed to mean, but those thoughts were nowhere to be found right now. "Someone respond!"

Stopping abruptly in his charge, Sapphire brought up one leg in a front snap kick, firing off two bullets from the side of the MACB as he did so. The bullets caught the robot down the hall off-guard, piercing into its back and blowing it up.

"Tyler!" Sapphire exclaimed, smashing down the door. His leader gave him a brief look, supporting a bloodied arm as he tried to catch his breath. Amelia was next to him, barely standing amongst a clutter of scrap metal. "Amelia! You alright? Where's Mercury?"

"Stick to call signs, you dolt," Tyler groaned, throwing away the submachine gun in his hand. "Merc's on the way here… We've finally managed to rid the jamming somewhat, but not completely, so we'll be moving as a team from this point onwards."

"We have to get out of here," Sapphire said, not bothering to hide his sense of urgency. "There're too many robots here; this wasn't part of the plan. We can't beat-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Tyler snapped, tearing off the heavy machine gun attached to the arm of one of the robots. "We quit now, we fail the mission. We're not gonna get paid, y'know?"

"Who cares?!" Sapphire yelled. "The money can't be worth your life, right?!"

"We're mercenaries, Sapphire!" Tyler fired back. "Putting our lives on the line is nothing new. Now stop being a whiny piece of-"

An explosion cut off the rest of his insult, blowing Tyler back a few meters and sending him crashing into the wall. Amelia, reacting quickly, rolled away, narrowly avoiding the next energy beam that burned a hole through the ground she once stood.

Sapphire, having nowhere to run, charged at this new foe that had appeared out of nowhere – a robot with two cannon for arms, and a larger bazooka-like object on its back. He had no idea what were its combat capabilities, and it was an entirely new model he had never encountered before, but Sapphire did not have the luxury of time to think this through.

The robot raised its arm, and a white beam shot out almost instantly. Relying on his reflexes, Sapphire managed to swerve around it, but the attack still burned the skin on his arm. At this point, his eyes glowed brighter, remaining blue as Sapphire's sprint became faster. It was not a significant increase, but it would do.

Before he could regain his momentum, Sapphire flew backwards, slammed violently in the gut by a surprise attack; the robot had fired off its own cannon as a blunt weapon, catching him unawares.

Sitting against the wall he had crashed into, Sapphire's whole body shook as he let blood drip out of his mouth. Even though his Semblance was active, the pain rendered him immovable as he put all his willpower into just staying conscious.

"Son of a…" he groaned, staring at the enemy. The robot produced what looked like a giant knife from inside its arm, after losing the cannon. It looked between him and Tyler, probably assessing which target was a greater threat to be eliminated first.

"Tyler… Sapphire…" Amelia muttered, standing up. She was the least injured of them all, but she had been hiding behind a crate so far, which hid her from the machine. The moment she did, however, the robot noticed her at last.

It fired a thick beam of energy, utterly destroying the crate she had been seeking refuge behind. Amelia managed to get out of the way in time, running towards her boyfriend.

That was a fatal mistake. For mercenaries, who fought with their lives on the line, romance was nothing but a joke; they were told to harness a killing intent from the slightest of emotion, but affection was something that only hindered logical thinking and produced nothing in return. In that sense, perhaps she had already made a colossal mistake the moment she decided to fall in love.

_Get along with your next partner, ya hear?_

As he looked, as he helplessly watched, Sapphire remembered those words. Luke's words, like a curse tormenting his spirit, clung to the stale air that reeked of burning flesh.

Amelia stared, transfixed with horror, as Tyler fell to his knees. She was on the floor, pushed away by her boyfriend, just moments before a beam of pure white tore through his body instead, cleanly obliterating a part of his spine.

"Tyler!" Amelia screamed, losing all sense of the mission at hand. She was no longer even capable of fighting at that moment, holding her dying boyfriend in her arms as he bled. Even from where he was, Sapphire knew that Tyler would not make it; in a matter of minutes, maybe even seconds, Tyler Morris would have breathed his last. "Ty! Come on! Don't do this to me! Don't do this… Don't… Please…"

"Look out…" Sapphire tried raising his voice, but all that came out was a weak groan. He wanted to close his eyes, to avert his gaze, but before he could even try to escape from it, reality attacked.

Amelia's eyes went wide, letting go of Tyler as her body lost all strength. Blood poured from her shaky lips and her gaze became more and more distant, adding to her current state of shock and confusion.

The robot withdrew its arm, pulling its knife out of her heart. Amelia collapsed easily, like a marionette with cut strings, slumping over while Tyler watched. He was dying, and he could not move, but he could still see. In the end, that was all he did.

Even as he slowly breathed his last, all Tyler Morris could do was watch his beloved die.

For Sapphire, something snapped. It was not the first time he had seen people die, but it was the first time he had seen his own teammates die right in front of his eyes.

His sister. Luke. Tyler. Amelia. Why did the people around him have to die, and why must he have to be powerless to do anything about it?

_Why? Why? Why?_

His mind screamed, and his eyes flared. For the first time since he was nine, Sapphire Fall's eyes burned with a vengeful, deep red.

The pain lessened, and the world began to slow down. The walking piece of junk seemed to have noticed and approached, but it was far too slow. Unlike the incompetent machine whose steps were slow and clumsy, Sapphire's body was completely unaffected. There was no question as to who would get destroyed.

Roaring with bloodlust, he charged.

* * *

><p>Mercury had seen many things during his time as a mercenary, and amongst the various people who had gone down fighting he had seen what they called a 'berserker'. He pitied those fools; they were more or less guaranteed to die, and in their last minute struggle they threw everything into a wild charge, akin to that of a mindless beast. They were not only nothing to be feared, but they were also pathetic to look at.<p>

But when he saw Sapphire's rampage, he could not help but be shaken.

With one hand, he crushed the head of the robot easily, and with a roundhouse kick faster than anything he had been capable of before, Sapphire broke the robot in two.

His eyes, two blood-red rubies emanating with a furious glow, glared towards the horde of incoming machines. That gaze alone summoned more killing intent that Sapphire had ever managed in his time as a mercenary, and could probably overshadow even Mercury's.

With a powerful leap, Sapphire jumped high into the air. While still in mid-air, he kicked towards the robots and fired off a small missile.

The missile blew apart the front few robots, and Sapphire used the recoil to stay in the air a little longer. Turning his body while descending to perform a roundhouse kick, Sapphire cut apart all the remaining robots with a thin laser beam from the MACB he wore, sweeping the entire space in front of him.

Immediately after landing, Sapphire charged towards the robots, which were all broken beyond moving any further as is. With a bestial shriek, he proceeded to violently rip apart their remains, tossing them away just as crudely.

"Sapph-" Mercury began, but at that moment the MACB that Sapphire wore suddenly opened fire with a hail of bullets. He had not heard of the boots being capable of firing without a kicking action, which made his reaction somewhat sloppy. Nonetheless, he managed to evade it, even if it resulted in him taking a bullet to the shoulder.

Screaming as though he was in pain, Sapphire kicked upwards, releasing a wave of flares which exploded against the wall. Immediately after that, blades protruded from the tip of his boots, allowing him to further dismantle the already broken machines and wreck the entire warehouse.

His face was contorted with rage, but the more he continued to destroy everything around himself, the more the boy's cheeks became stained with the tracks of his own tears.

Even then, he did not stop in his rampage. Like a ravenous beast let off its leash, the child crushed everything in his path without discrimination. Even amongst the higher ups, there were people who referred to him, to this phenomenon, as such:

They called him 'the Grimm-like child'.

* * *

><p>Sapphire woke to the smell of medication. He slowly opened his eyes to the same white ceiling he had already gotten sick of seeing, as well as to a face he was not entirely enthusiastic to see either.<p>

"How're you feeling?" Ozpin asked, putting down his Scroll.

"What happened?" Sapphire asked back instead of replying.

"Your partner will fill you in on the finer details later," Ozpin replied. "All you need to know right now is that the mission was a success; the entire warehouse was utterly destroyed and the White Fang-"

"Tyler and Amelia…" Sapphire muttered, remembering the events before he lost consciousness. "They're dead."

"Yes, they are," Ozpin said flatly.

"If the warehouse is destroyed…" Sapphire choked on his words a bit. "The humans… are they…"

"Yes," Ozpin replied. "You and 'Macbeth' are the only people who made it out alive."

_People died again. _

Sapphire's voice got stuck in his throat, and a burning sensation filled his eyes.

_People died again because of me._

He bit back the tears. There was no point in crying, because there was no point in having worthless things like emotions. Not only had he been so weak that he could not protect his teammates, he had been so pathetic that he lost to his own rage. What good were emotions if this was all they ever accomplished?

"Tell me, Sapphire," Ozpin said. "Why did you go on a rampage like that?"

Sapphire did not reply; holding back his tears was taking too much effort for him to be able to answer Ozpin right now.

"You lost your cool over the loss of your teammates, did you not?" Ozpin asked. Again, Sapphire did not reply, but Ozpin could have sworn he saw a small nod from the boy. "Then I'm glad.

"I've seen many mercenaries before," he went on, unfazed by Sapphire's look of surprise and outrage. "Everyone at some point in time throws away their heart and kills because the mission demanded it. They've become machines that do nothing but kill. Your rage, however, is proof that you still have a 'heart', and it's solid evidence that you don't live solely for fighting."

Sapphire gritted his teeth. Why was this man telling him this? Why would he believe that such worthless things such as feelings and heart have value? Why was he consoling him, instead of reprimanding him?

"Your anger for them proves you have a caring heart," Ozpin said. "It is that sentiment you possess that convinces me that hope still remains."

At that, the man stood up, looking at the child whose control was finally starting to crumble. Sapphire's lips were quivering, and his eyes were brimming with tears that, for now, were still held in.

"I have high expectations for you, Cloudburst," Ozpin said with a benign smile. "It's your new call sign; it was the word that came to mind when I saw you at the warehouse. And I guess it's true even now as well," he added, walking away.

But it was already too late. Clenching his fists tightly, Sapphire let the white-hot tears flow freely down his face.

They said he was like a Grimm, but monsters did not cry. They called him a monster, but at that moment, Sapphire Fall was more human than anyone else.

* * *

><p><strong>Just FYI, cloudburst is a proper word.<strong>

**Also, the events here have been mentioned all the way back in Chapter 7. Don't know if you still remember, but if you do, well done!**

**Feel free to request something you'd like to see if it comes up, and don't be shy! I don't guarantee that I'll definitely be able to write it, but I'll try my best.**

**Till next chapter, fellas!**


	36. 35 - Debriefing

**Welcome to chapter 35! **

**The action's gonna be starting soon, which is actually pretty early for an arc, but don't worry, you'll see why :)**

**Also, it's way too early for this, but now that I've finally decided I'll say it: yes, there will be a sequel to this story, even though this is plenty long by itself. There'll be a small teaser of sorts at the end of this entire story, but for now, let's not get carried away…**

**Anyway, moving on!**

* * *

><p>"Ozpin speaking."<p>

"Good mornin'!" an extremely cheerful voice greeted. "Frustratingly Underpaid Civilian Killers at your service! If you want someone brutally murdered, elegantly killed or just simply dead, give us a call! If our name's too long for you, remember us as F.U.C-"

"What can I do for you, Mr. Dynes?" Ozpin asked with an exasperated smile. He had not heard from Patrick Dynes in a long time, and he had certainly not expected a call now.

"Well, y'see, Saph's made me run some errands," Pat replied. "So I had to do a wide-area memory alteration. As a result, they're unconscious all over the place, and-"

"How did you manage that?" Ozpin asked. Last he heard, Patrick's Semblance was currently in a state where excessive usage would either mess his own memories permanently or cost him his life. "Did you use 'Overdrive'?"

Overdrive was a substance the 'mad scientists' – the engineers and chemists who served as support for mercenaries like Sapphire who went into the field – had come up with to amplify the effects of Aura. Even those with poor Aura control could become temporarily invulnerable upon consuming the liquid (which apparently tasted like fermented Ursa pee, whatever that tasted like; the description was courtesy of a certain blue-eyed dual-wielder). Some individuals had been shown to face peculiar side effects, namely death from excessive and continuous Aura discharge, temporary paralysis and even the momentary strengthening of one's Semblance.

Patrick, having fallen into the last category, could use it to increase the range of his Semblance. If he consumed enough of it, it was fully possible to cover the entirety of Vale. However, having abused it to compensate for losing his arm and leg, he ended up in his current state where using his Semblance was dangerous.

"It was just lying there," Pat replied nonchalantly. "I got myself a whole bucket of it. Anyway, as I was saying, they were all unconscious, so I snuck around a bit and tried to find something juicy on the big boss."

"The big boss, huh…" Ozpin mused. The big boss was someone no one had ever seen before, and whose identity was a mystery; he ran the entire mercenary organization, but he had done it all in the shadows. From that alone, it could be said that he was a far more powerful individual than even Ozpin himself. "Well, you called me, so I assume you've found something interesting?"

"I'm still trying to break through your firewall," Pat replied. "Gimme a minute."

"You could just send it to my e-mail," Ozpin suggested.

"Where's the fun in that?" Pat asked. "Okay, it's done. Apparently this was what they did with the data from all those tests."

"This is…" for once, Ozpin looked genuinely surprised.

"Do with it what you will," Pat said. "I'm getting back to my errand."

Without waiting for a reply, he hung up. Ozpin did not move his hand, holding his Scroll by the side of his face silently.

* * *

><p>"Alright, is everyone here?" Sapphire asked, scanning the room. Team RWBY was seated on their beds, all members present, while Team JNPR sat on the floor, missing a certain blonde. "Where's Arc?"<p>

"I think he's in the cafeteria," Pyrrha replied. "He may have forgotten about the meeting. Sorry; I should have reminded him."

"So there're times you're not sticking to him," Sapphire muttered, causing Pyrrha to blush furiously. He fished out his Scroll, calling Jaune impatiently. "Hey Arc. If you're not in Team RWBY's room in five minutes I'll do weird things to your girlfriend."

"PYRRHA!" Jaune screamed, jumping through the window and diving into the room, using his shield to cover his landing. His eyes searched the room hastily, and with a panicked expression he pointed his sword at Sapphire. "W-what did you do to her?"

"Right, now that everyone's here, let's get started," Sapphire announced, completely ignoring the blonde and the fact that he had managed to rush from the cafeteria to a room on the upper floor within seconds. He was supposed to be incompetent how? "I'll explain the details of the plan this time."

"Hold on," Ren said. "Are you sure it's safe? What if someone is listening in?"

"Don't worry," Sapphire said, pressing a button on Lifesaver's side. A green light lit up slightly above it, flashing at slow, steady intervals. "All signals are now jammed. That aside, when did you start talking?"

"Ren's just shy!" Nora said, hugging him like a giant plushie. Her right arm was in a cast, but she managed to make do with just the left. "What he just said is enough to last this entire semester!"

"Agreed," Sapphire nodded, as Pyrrha finally managed to make Jaune sit down and sheathe his sword. "Okay, moving on. I'm sure you've all read the news lately, no?"

"Yes," Everyone replied. The only exceptions were Ren (who nodded silently), Nora (who said 'yep~'), Yang (who went 'uh-huh!') and Jaune, who shook his head.

"Arc…" Sapphire sighed heavily. "Just out of curiosity, other than comics and porno mags, is there anything you read at all?"

"He doesn't read those dirty things," Pyrrha denied. "I won't let him."

"Fair enough," Sapphire conceded, pulling out a newspaper and tossing it to the natural blonde. "Read it."

"Um…" Jaune did as he was told, skimming the itty-bitty words that only came with one big picture (not that he complained; it was a photo of Weiss). To his surprise, it was an article about how Weiss was going to take her sister to a private villa for recuperation, with her team as the only ones guarding her. "What's this?"

"It's what it looks like," Sapphire replied. "Team RWBY will be taking a break from school, and we'll be moving Winter to the Schnee villa around… here," he pointed at the map on the wall. It was a location along a cliff, facing a large forest where it was not looking out to sea. "The five of us will be the only ones there, so there'll be no extra security and whatnot. Any questions?"

"Only about fifty," Jaune said.

"Fine," Sapphire heaved another exasperated sigh. "I'll explain. We're saying that the environment is good for her health, and we're using only a team of four girls – her most trusted friends and comrades, so to speak – with no security for fear or enemy spies. The purpose is straightforward and simple: we're insulting the White Fang."

"What?" Jaune asked, clearly confused. Even Pyrrha looked a little puzzled.

"Why would you go so far to provoke them?" Pyrrha asked. "You know they're dangerous, and you're going to make Team RWBY the targets of their fury now? What'll it accomplish?"

"The plan doesn't stop there," Sapphire replied. "But I'll go into that later. I had Weiss emphasize that the attack on the Schnee Company would not be possible for the White Fang to pull off alone, which basically conveyed that we think they're worthless on their own. Furthermore, the only people guarding her are a team of four Huntresses-in-training. That's totally looking down on them. Do you think they'll just sit back and let us say all this?

"The attack on the SDC was led by a Faunus called Adam Taurus," Sapphire went on, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Blake as he said this. "His fearsome ability is topped only by his own pride, and a man like that held back without killing Winter. Someone must be pulling the strings, and with that taunt we'll be making them come to us without relying on them. It decreases the amount of unknown elements we have to face."

Blake nodded, albeit a little hesitantly. The others still looked unconvinced at his words, so the former mercenary took a deep breath and continued.

"Their enemies, as we've proposed, are four girls," he said. "To top it off, they're Weiss Schnee's most trusted friends. If they beat us without external intervention, it'll not only prove their power, albeit a little, and it'll also allow them to rub dirt all over the Schnee heiress's pride. It's a challenge and an opportunity they won't pass up. It's certainly a possibility that Taurus will be sadistic enough to kill all three of them slowly in front of Weiss before gutting her to stroke his own ego too."

"That's nice," Weiss said sarcastically. "What does that do for us?"

"Basically, they'll come to us," Sapphire replied. "They won't rely on this unknown third party, and they'll definitely come without fail. For us, who lack information to do anything, it's our best and possibly only way of striking back. The catch is that other than being able to one-up the Fang somewhat, as well as weakening them, we have no other actual merits."

"So it's personal," Pyrrha summarized. "Not only that, but you're risking your life and Weiss's company's name for this."

"Yes, we are," Ruby replied. The four members of Team JNPR turned to stare at the red-cloaked girl, and at her red and black eye patch. "Weiss was willing to do it, and we won't let her go in alone. So even if we have to risk our lives, we'll go. We'll fight with her all the way."

"No matter how many times I hear it, it's as embarrassing as ever," Sapphire muttered, smirking as he leaned against the wall. "Well, Weiss is willing to toss aside her pride for this little revenge hit, so we've got nothing to complain."

"Wait a minute," Jaune said suddenly. "You said four, right? What're you going to do? And what's with the eye patches?"

"Well, we did say we're moving Winter there for recovery, no?" Sapphire asked. "But I'm not stupid enough to actually bring her there. The White Fang have something detects the Aura readings in the area, and to fool them we just need someone with low Aura to pass off as Winter, who's on the verge of death."

"You don't mean-?"

"Luckily, I'm skinny," Sapphire shrugged. "And now for the eye patches… I'm actually keen on keeping you in the dark and making you suffer that way."

"Hey!" Jaune protested. Ruby had to cover her mouth to hide her grin at that.

"But what about the actual forces?" Pyrrha asked. "You only have five people, and they'll definitely send in far more than just that. What're you going to do?"

"That's why I chose this location," Sapphire answered, rapping his knuckles on the map. "It's on a cliff, so they can't surround us. They won't be stupid enough to send all their troops through the forest and risk traps and hidden reinforcements either, but since they can't use the sea they'll probably end up descending on the villa via helicarriers.

"There're only so many helicarriers you can bring along without alerting the opponent," Sapphire went on. "So we only have to fight those who come into the villa via the air. The ones in the forest will… let's just say my former colleagues will mistake them for enemies and help us out."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked apprehensively. "What did you do?"

"I have very… persuasive friends," Sapphire said evasively. "Don't worry; their combined strength should be more than enough to take on the White Fang; it's not as if they'll send every single soldier available in to combat just four girls anyway."

"You're bringing in external help?" Pyrrha asked. "After all you said and did to get them to not bring in theirs?"

"I never said this was playing fair," Sapphire replied. "I hope you don't misunderstand; this is payback for what they did. I've no intention of competing on equal ground. They struck first, and we're not fighting for cheap pride, so we'll be as dirty as we need to be. They hurt someone important, and you can bet your life that we'll do whatever it takes to kick their ass."

A momentary silence followed those words. No one really knew what to say, especially when Sapphire's tone had become increasingly hostile with every word.

"No matter how many times I hear it, it's still as embarrassing as ever," Blake jabbed. Sapphire looked at her, clearly thinking of a rebuttal, but was ultimately unable to think of one so he picked up Zwei and flung him at her instead.

"Anyway, JNPR," he said triumphantly, turning to them as Blake screeched and jumped onto an upper bunk. "I need you guys to guard Winter in that time. Since her condition has stabilized, we've made arrangements for her to be temporarily moved to Beacon's infirmary; if we have guards outside her ward when she's supposedly at the villa, it'll be suspicious after all. But that being said, we can't just leave her vulnerable, so that's why we're doing this. Any questions, kids?"

"When are you moving her?" Nora asked, tilting her head. "Everyone's gathered here, so who's looking after her now?"

"We moved her yesterday," Sapphire replied. Everyone other than Weiss looked surprised at that. "And a certain busty blonde is looking after her right now. No, the other one," he added with a facepalm as all eyes turned to Yang. "That's all from me. Can you do it?"

"It's not a problem for us," Jaune replied. "You can hardly expect us to back down after something like that. We'll do it."

"That's right," Pyrrha agreed, putting a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Don't look down on Team JNPR, Sapphire."

"You mean don't look down on your husband," Sapphire muttered. "Alright, dismissed! Blo- Xiao Long, I need to talk to you for a bit."

Yang looked startled, but did not say anything in protest. This surprising lack of objection made Ruby all hyped up for some reason – a reaction backed up by the suggestive whistling from Nora.

"Yang, I thought you already had Blake," Ruby said.

"Well, you know…" Yang suddenly caught on to what her sister was implying. "Wait a minute; Ruby!"

But everyone had already fled from her impending fury.

* * *

><p>"How're you holding up?" Sapphire asked reluctantly.<p>

"What on Remnant do you mean?" Yang asked, holding Zwei by the front legs and making him tap-dance across the carpet.

"You seemed distracted," Sapphire pointed out. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Are you kidding?" Yang asked. "You're asking my sister to risk her life, but you expect me to sit around?"

"I never said anything about leaving you behind," Sapphire replied. "I'm asking if you're up for this. If you're going to be like this on the day itself, you'll die, Xiao Long."

"Y'know, everyone just calls me Yang," Yang said. "So just call me Yang. Besides, it's not as if I hate my surname, but when I get called that way, it just forcefully reminds me that Ruby and I are not… you know…"

"… Noted," Sapphire conceded. "But you're not getting out of answering my question."

"Girls don't like guys who're this pushy, you know," Yang complained, lifting Zwei and using his face to substitute for a puppy-dog eyed expression. When that failed, she gave in with a sigh. "Fine, fine… I'm alright. I really am; I'm a seasoned brawler, in case you didn't know.

"Besides," she said, standing up and turning to leave, but not before flashing him a wide, toothy grin. "I'm a big sis, y'know? Little siblings leave it to me and we'll settle this with a Yang!"

With that, Yang left the room. Sapphire, now alone (with Zwei), sighed and pressed the button on Lifesaver, disabling the jamming.

He was not a fan of butting into other people's problems, but he was hardly enthusiastic about leaving her alone. He knew that she was lying, but her personality was a bad match with his; there was pretty much no way he could convince her or make her open up to him, at least not without a fight.

"It's up to Blake, then…" he said heavily, possibly to Zwei. "The blonde's going to get herself killed."

A heavy silence descended, preceded by Zwei's frightened whine.

* * *

><p><strong>Er… too much OC stuff involved. Didn't want that; it's information overload… You can feel free to ignore the first part; I'll remind you again when the time comes. Besides, it won't really come into play much in this arc.<strong>

**Sorry I'm not good with puns; Yang's art is too sophisticated for the likes of moi…**


	37. 36 - A Friendly Chat

"Would you care to join me?"

Sapphire Fall was not one to have luck with women. As such, he was not one to believe that a random pretty woman would just come and invite him to lunch. Now that the impossible had actually happened, he was not sure how to react.

"Let's see…" he said thoughtfully. "Either you think I'm stupid beyond cure, or you're underestimating me too much. Pick one."

"What on Remnant do you mean?" the student asked with a good natured smile.

She was, if anything, beautiful. She was probably about Sapphire's age, but the vibe she gave off was far more mature than just that. Everything about her, from her long, silky black hair to her radiant amber eyes, seemed somehow reassuring despite the clear danger she presented.

"I merely saw you at the concert," Cinder said, playing the role of a normal female student perfectly. "I figured that as new students, we should get along; we're both strangers to this place, after all. We could help each other out."

"I guess so," Sapphire replied. She clearly had no intention of letting up, so he might as well play along. "Shall we be on our way?"

* * *

><p>"Yang Xiao Long! Stop right there!"<p>

"I refuse!" Yang shouted back, running away from her partner.

"Ruby!" Blake snarled towards her leader. "Cut her off!"

"B-but-" Ruby stuttered, before she remembered just how 'persuasive' Blake could get. There was also the time she made fun of Blake's scream. "Roger that!"

"Ruby you trai-" Yang began, but her sister already had her arms around her waist, tackling her to the ground and holding her in place. "You would betray me, my sister?!"

"Now…" Blake panted, glaring at the blonde. "Are you going to… listen to me?"

"I don't wanna be a scratchpost!" Yang struggled, but Ruby was surprisingly strong. She was about to say something else, but the murderous aura from Blake was no joke. "O-okay, I'll listen! K-keep that weapon! Keep that weapon!"

"What're you talking about, Yang?" Blake asked, swinging Gambol Shroud around with a cheery smile on her face. "I won't do anything to you. Let's go somewhere more private, okay?"

Ruby had never heard Yang gulp in fear like that ever since Goodwitch punished her for damaging school property. That being said, after looking at Blake's expression, she could not blame her. At all.

* * *

><p>"Now then, have we calmed down a little?" Blake asked, dropping Yang on her bed. There had been the lingering scent of a woman just outside their door, but she would worry about that later.<p>

"I've always been calm, Blakey," Yang said, twirling a lock of hair with her finger. "Anyone would run if you threaten to use them as a scratching post."

"Yang…" Blake sighed. Ever since she had revealed her Faunus nature, Yang's cat-related jokes had increased in frequency. It did not bother her that much, but right now it made her want to cut Yang's hair. "We need to talk."

"You sound like a mom," Yang complained, pouting. "A mom that loooves to nag."

"What's on your mind, Yang?" Blake asked calmly. Before Yang could reply, she held up a hand to avoid hearing another lousy bluff; Yang was a terrible liar, and it may or may not have something to do with the fact that she was Ruby's sister. "Don't lie to me, Yang. You're clearly in a bad mood, and I want to know why."

"What makes you say that?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"For crying out loud, Yang," Blake replied impatiently. "You've sent two students to the infirmary in the past few sparring classes, and even when you don't hurt them you fight like you're venting your frustration on them. What's going on?"

"I-I just forgot to hold back," Yang lied badly. Blake would have rolled her eyes, if not for her patience wearing thin. "Seriously, why must you and Sapphire insist that I'm on my per-"

"Yang," Blake cut across the fibbing blonde sharply. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me anything, but don't lie to me. We're partners; you can trust me, okay?"

"It's not that I don't…" Yang said guiltily, sounding like Ruby when she got caught with her hand in a cookie jar. "Alright, I'll tell you. Don't tell Ruby, okay?"

"Oh please," Blake scoffed. "You know I'm better than that."

"I guess so," Yang agreed, her mood lightening up a little. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, the blonde brawler continued. "You know how we're going with that impossible plan of Sapphire's?"

"Yes," Blake replied. "I agree it's reckless, but it's not something we can't handle. I'm sure Sapphire has plenty of safety measures in place as well. Ruby trusts him too, doesn't she?"

"It's not that I don't trust him," Yang said hastily. "It's just… I don't want Ruby to be hurt, and every time I think about it I just get the feeling she'll get herself hurt somehow. But you know that she won't just back down and stay behind even if we tried tying her to the bed."

_If she's family, don't ever leave her side!_

Sapphire's words, louder and far more painful to hear than before, rang in her ears. She had seen, all too clearly, the pain carved into those eyes back then. It was so deep that it hurt just to look at them, and she sometimes wondered if she would make that expression if Ruby ever got hurt.

"True," Blake said thoughtfully, oblivious to the unspoken worries that swarmed Yang's mind. "We've seen what she could do if she really wanted to escape… But Ruby's a competent fighter; wouldn't it be fine to let her fight? You can't protect her forever, so let her experience some danger now, when we're all here to save her when the going gets rough."

"I wanted to, you know," Yang said, more to herself than to Blake. "I wanted to protect her forever, so I trained myself to be strong enough to beat anyone. And now, when I'm selfishly chasing after adventure, she's striving to become a hero, probably because of my influence.

"When I heard she got moved up two years, I was really glad," Yang went on. "Even if it was going to be difficult for her, at least I was there. I could protect her through her time at Beacon. Now we're making enemies of Roman Torchwick and the White Fang… it's out of my hands, Blake."

"Well, isn't that just right for you?" Blake said. Yang turned to her quickly, staring at the Faunus who merely shrugged. "You said it yourself: you just sought adventure, right? Now it's found you, so you can have your fill. You should be jumping for joy."

Yang kept silent. Blake walked over and sat down right next to her, looking at her straight in the eyes.

"You never looked for cheap thrills," Blake said firmly. "I know you're not like that. You looked for stronger enemies to strengthen yourself, so that you could protect Ruby, didn't you? But you know that's not going to solve anything. If you want Ruby to remain herself, believing what she believes, and still survive in this world, you have to let her flap her own wings. You should know that better than I do, Yang."

Yang said nothing, choosing instead to stare back at Blake. She had thought about all those things as well, but stubbornly believed that another method existed. Now that her own partner was telling her this, did she have no choice but to accept it?

"I guess so," she said at last. "Just this once, I'll let her have free rein."

"She'll manage," Blake offered. "She's the fearless leader of Team RWBY, after all."

"You know, if you weren't taken by Sun, I'd totally hit on you," Yang said with a serious expression. "Aw, heck; I'm gonna steal you away from him anyway."

"I'd like to see you try," Blake challeneged. After Sapphire tricking him a few days back, Sun had been extremely protective of his girlfriend. She had little doubt that even Yang would have a hard time dealing with him now.

"Hey, you're a kitty cat who uses bird analogies," Yang pointed out. "I think anything's possible at this point."

"Yang…" Blake groaned, massaging her temples. Yang chuckled.

"Thanks, kitty cat," the blonde said, managing a genuine, wide grin.

* * *

><p>Sapphire lifted the mug to his lips, tilting it but keeping his lips tightly clamped. As he set it back down, he made sure to let out a breath of air to suggest that he had taken a sip.<p>

"So, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked. "Or whatever the phrase is."

"You're as amusing as the rumors say you are," Cinder giggled. As they were – wearing uniforms and having lunch in the cafeteria – no one paid them any attention beyond a passing glance.

"Thanks for that," Sapphire replied. He had Daybreak, Duskfall and Lifesaver on standby, ready to be activated at a moment's notice. However, he was starting to think that this woman was really just here to talk; she had chosen such a crowded place to hold their conversation after all. "And what else are these… 'rumors' saying about me?"

"That you're strong," Cinder answered lightly. "You're good at judging your opponent's strengths, and you're not overconfident, but you're also very careless. Oh, and…"

Sapphire opened his mouth to reply, but stopped dead in his tracks. His entire body was bound in place by an invisible force, as though the very air itself was trying to crush him. All he could do right now was sit there, unable to move a single muscle.

"You're an open book," she finished, smiling at the look of shock on Sapphire's face.

"Dust…" Sapphire cursed under his breath. He had even experienced her skillful manipulation of Dust in their previous battle. How had he not managed to see this coming?

"Your Aura is weak," Cinder stated, using her free hand to gesture towards the other, with its fingers on Sapphire's sleeve. "Wearing special Dust-infused clothing is just going to backfire if you can't control it."

"Interesting," Sapphire muttered, forcing out a fearless smirk. If she wanted to, this unknown woman could kill him in an instant, with the special uniform he had requested from Ozpin for protection. "Alright, you got my attention. What do you want?"

"Well, you've put me in quite a spot," Cinder said, smiling confidently. It was a small gesture, but it radiated with unyielding spirit, striking a stark contrast with her words. "You took out one of my men, and now you've provoked the White Fang so much that they're not even willing to listen to what I have to say. Did you think that there'd be no consequences?"

"Sorry, but I'm not the kind to plan ahead," Sapphire replied. "And for that matter, Mercury picked a fight with me."

"That piqued my interest," Cinder said. "You're skilled enough to defeat Mercury in combat. That's impressive talent."

"What can I say?" Sapphire asked. "I just gave him a good kick to the balls. Works on any man."

"Tell me, why do you fight?" Cinder fired back. Her real goal lay elsewhere, but it was also true that this boy interested her somewhat. Why that was, even she did not know. "Are you fighting to protect this pathetic world and its outrageous rules?"

"No, I despise it," Sapphire answered seriously. "I hate this world, and I couldn't care less if it went to hell. What're you trying to get at?"

Cinder smiled lasciviously, leaning in towards Sapphire, who just sat that unable to move or defend himself. As long as Cinder's fingers touched his uniform, he was powerless to resist.

Her expression was one of overflowing confidence and triumph, but Sapphire was sure he had seen disgust in those eyes – a fleeting sense of disgust aimed at him, fueled by an anger that was cleverly hidden.

"If that's how you feel," she whispered into his ear. "How about joining me?"

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, kinda beating a dead horse with Yang here. Don't worry, that'll stop this chapter! Gonna be moving into the fighting in about 2 or so chapters, after this setting up is done.<strong>

**And yes, the first face-to-face meeting between Cinder and Sapphire. Took them 36 chapters to even talk. Sheesh.**


	38. 37 - Similarity

"Join… you?" Sapphire asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm already eating lunch with you, aren't I-kuh…"

He winced painfully, clenching his fists as Cinder widened her playful smile.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" she asked pleasantly. "Dust can be pretty painful even via fabric, can't it?"

"Oh, was that what it was?" Sapphire asked, trying to keep his smirk. "I thought it was a bug bite. Say, while we're at it, how about we continue conversing in the form of questions for the next hour or so?"

"That could be fun," Cinder replied, considering what he said. "Alas, we don't have the time. So how about you answer my question?"

"Of course I refuse, dumbass," Sapphire snapped. "Who on Remnant would be stupid enough to join a bunch of unknown assholes just like that?"

"Well, maybe having your life threatened can be an incentive," Cinder offered, tapping the sleeve of his uniform for emphasis. "Besides, you ought to know by now that we have enough significance to influence even the White Fang. Do you really need convincing on our power?"

"Then let me ask you the same question you asked me," Sapphire said. "What're you fighting for? You hate the world, good for you, but what're you trying to achieve?"

Cinder considered him for a moment. This was probably a ploy to buy some time, but even if someone he knew came along, they would not be able to help him; she had Emerald standing guard outside for that very purpose. She told herself that she had nothing to lose in replying, but Cinder understood that there was something else behind her answer. Something unknown that made her want to reply.

"Do you know what it feels like to lose someone you love?" she asked. "Do you know what it feels like to see everyone else take for granted what you can never have, to witness them laugh and enjoy life while they rob you of everything?"

Sapphire raised an eyebrow. He felt like saying smugly that he did understand how that felt, and that he knew far better than she thought he did. However, with the unfortunate circumstance of his life being in danger, he held his tongue.

"I'm going to take it all away," Cinder declared. "That's all. Simple and straightforward, isn't it?"

"In short, you just don't want to explain everything to a guy who may not join you," Sapphire summarized. "Understood. Y'know, I was worried at first, but it seems you're simpler than I initially thought you were."

"Oh?" Cinder asked. "Would you care to enlighten me on what you mean by that?"

"I thought a third party that dangerous was going to be difficult," Sapphire replied. "But if your motivation and goals are as you say they are, you're not mysterious or anything anymore – you're just a childish brat. I don't even have to lie and pretend to join you; simple-minded morons like you won't pose a threat no matter how much power you have."

"Pretty big words, for someone whose life is in my hands," Cinder mocked. The uniform on Sapphire tightened, sticking to his body tightly and constricting him even further.

"I can't get violent here, but that applies for you too," Sapphire said calmly, even though his face gave away the pain she was causing. It hurt like crazy, but he did not care. "How're you going to get away with killing me in front of so many people?

"You're far too simple," he went on, ignoring the force exerted on his entire being. "You're jealous of everyone else, so you're venting that frustration on the rest of the world. You don't want to blame yourself, so you're blaming others instead. Aren't you just sore over the fact that you're so pathetic you couldn't protect the ones you loved?"

He knew that he of all people had no right to say that; he had bared his own fangs against the world for a similar reason as well. It was stupid and selfish, not to mention childish to boot. He resented the world, he hated everyone else, and above all he despised himself, so he fought.

He fought endlessly to rid that weakness, to perhaps hurt this wretched world a little. In the end, he, too, was the same as this woman – he was just sore over his own worthlessness.

So why was he telling her off? Why was he not able to take her side? She was making the same mistake that he had, so why was he not helping her either? Why was it that the only thing he felt from her words were-

_Why am I feeling glad?_ He wondered.

"Hah," Sapphire winced, as the uniformed tightened further. If this kept up, his Semblance was going to kick in, making his eyes turn red against his will. "Trying to cover it up with a display of power? Just so you know, not everyone's chicken enough to give in to you just because you can show off a little."

"You can really run your mouth, can't you?" Cinder mused, her voice filled with a barely suppressed rage. "But you seem to be misreading the situation here; you're completely at my mercy, you know."

Smiling, she rested her free hand's palm against Sapphire's cheek. Sapphire, still unable to move, let her continue with whatever she had in mind.

"You're not to tell anyone about this conversation, okay?" she asked.

Sapphire wanted to burst out laughing and call out how utterly ridiculous that was, but could not. Instead, all that filled his thoughts was how he had to agree. And how her words were absolute.

_Don't think. Obey._

"Of course," he replied easily, as though it was common sense. It was only natural, so why did she even have to ask?

"There's a good boy," Cinder said, chuckling as she stood up. "That's all I have to say today, so I'll take my leave here. I'll decide again what to do after this battle, so good luck. Oh, and keep this in mind…

"Don't ever use that name in front of me again," she warned, her eyes brimming with genuine rage this time. "And don't you dare insult him any further."

Before Sapphire could process that last sentence, he had already lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>"He's waking up."<p>

"Quickly; stab him."

Reacting on instinct to that last comment, Sapphire leapt out of bed. The moment he did so, a wave of giddiness assaulted him, causing him to lose balance and crash miserably to the floor.

"Now's your… chance, Weiss…"

"Miss Schnee, kindly refrain from talking so much when you're injured."

Getting up shakily, Sapphire finally managed to grasp the fact that he was in the infirmary. The bed had been a very familiar one, and the scenery outside the window had not changed. It was all serene as usual, save for the fierce blonde glaring daggers at him. From a bed next to his was a rather amused Winter, with her sister seated right beside her as they looked at him like he was a unique animal. Winter looked fragile and sickly as heck, but she had a very amused and infuriating smirk on her face.

"Well, Mister Fall," Goodwitch said in a very authoritative manner. "Would you care to explain why you were all bruised and bleeding in the cafeteria?"

"Er… What?" Sapphire answered like the intelligent man that he was.

"You were found collapsed in the cafeteria," Goodwitch explained impatiently. "Your entire body was bruised pretty badly and there were small cuts here and there as well. Do kindly enlighten me on the circumstances that led to such an event."

"Er… I hurt myself while working out," Sapphire said. "It's a guy thing."

Winter's smirk grew wider. For a critically wounded person who was supposed to be resting, she had a lot of energy. Then again, she did have a rather bad history with Sapphire, so a little sadism towards his current predicament was probably justified.

"Really," Goodwitch said flatly. "Very well. Let us hear you out in full detail in front of the headmaster later. I'm sure you won't refuse."

"Er… I refuse," Sapphire said flatly, diving out the window before Goodwitch could say anything else. "Adios, suckers!"

* * *

><p>"Is something on your mind, Emerald?" Cinder asked pleasantly. The girl in question stopped whatever it was that she was doing and just stood there. "Are you by any chance upset over how I handled the conversation?"<p>

"I'm just… worried," Emerald confessed. "You- we were supposed to bring him to our side, by force if necessary. I don't think it was… wise… to just let him do what he wants."

"So you think I'm not wise enough," Cinder mused. "It's okay, Emerald; it was a bad move and I know it as well. I won't try to cover it up. It's just that after speaking with him, I decided that we don't need him anymore; I have another role for him now."

"What's that?" Emerald asked.

"He's challenging Adam Taurus of all people," Cinder reminded her gleefully. "I'm very keen to let him realize just how powerless he is right before he dies."

His words – his ignorant, infuriating comments – returned to mock her. He knew nothing about loss, but he had made a fool of hers. He thought Sapphire's death was trivial, and to mock him even further he dared to use his name. Regardless of the threat he possessed, regardless of the value he had, Cinder would rather see this insolent fool suffer.

"Such a shame," she thought aloud. "I won't get to see the despair on his face just before Adam tears it apart."

* * *

><p>"Oww…"<p>

For all his supposed bravado, Sapphire Fall fell spectacularly and head-first into the bushes on the ground floor. He had managed to avoid breaking his neck, but as a result his body felt like it was on fire.

Swearing excessively under his breath, the former mercenary staggered in the direction of the dorm, making sure to pick the longest, most deserted route he could find. While complaining in his head about how he had to deal with this now that his arm was finally healed, Sapphire overheard a familiar voice.

"I still can't be at ease."

It was Sun's voice, and judging from his tone and words, his conversation partner was Blake. If it was not, then a video camera and a funeral were in order. And probably a plan to break a certain Faunus out of prison after that too.

"I'll be fine, Wukong," Blake replied. Sapphire sighed; there was no scandal to be had here. Such a shame. "Besides, if Sapphire's right, Adam will be there. I have to go."

"Who… is he?" Sun asked. Even Sapphire could tell that he was worried if Adam was Blake's ex; the monkey-boy had no idea what it meant to be subtle.

_Well, he exposes his chest everywhere he goes_, Sapphire reasoned in his head. _Wait, why do they have to be so secretive?_

He understood that it was something regular students should not know about, but Team RWBY's room was a far safer option than here. As a matter of fact, Sapphire was already eavesdropping while passing by.

Then he remembered. Ruby had told him before that Weiss was not particularly supportive of the White Fang, and that it took her a day to get over the fact that Blake was a Faunus (although it was mostly because they had to track Blake down after she ran away). While the heiress was on good terms with Blake, she still could not rid herself of that hostility towards the White Fang. Needless to say, that dislike did not get any better after the attack on the SDC and the attempt on Winter's life.

However, precisely because she was on good terms with Blake, Weiss kept her comments to herself whenever it concerned the White Fang. Sapphire could certainly see why; those 'comments' were less than friendly, and the adjectives she chose to use were anything but fitting for a prim and proper girl to say (which probably came from overhearing Sapphire's own rants). That being said, Blake had often chosen to keep her distance from Weiss to 'let her express her feelings openly without bottling it up for a change'. That probably applied now, too.

"I-I mean, who is he to you?" Sun corrected hastily, dragging Sapphire back to Remnant, and to the very important job of eavesdropping on a lovers' spat.

"He was my mentor," Blake replied. "That's all."

"Is he… dangerous?" Sun asked hesitantly. He had already asked Sapphire this, but the latter had not given him an answer. The (possibly murderous) look in his eyes might have given Sun some weird ideas to worry about as well. Just maybe.

"Do you find Sapphire dangerous?" Blake asked instead of replying.

"Yes," Sun replied without hesitation. "He's seen and caused the deaths of people – just for some money, no less – so I can't honestly say he's a safe guy to be around. Why do you ask?"

Sapphire could not help but smile at that. Sun had always been the honest type, and he was thankful for that; Sapphire had no intention of ignoring his past, and he was glad that there were those who understood the significance of those sins. Just as he was feeling glad over her boyfriend's words, Blake's answer made his blood run cold:

"Because the two of them are the same."

* * *

><p><strong>Just a little bit of trivia: Sapphire's various similarities with the characters are because I wanted to tell the story through his eyes and expand the canon characters through him (kinda like how a viewer would make their own interpretations while watching, if you will). Interestingly enough, some of these similarities were discovered as I wrote this story and weren't planned since the very beginning. <strong>

**And yes, his similarity with Adam is one of them. :)**


End file.
